Roderick K. Hawkins: Black Professionals Network

Associate Dean of External Affairs and Chief of Staff at the Northwestern University School of Communications

Roderick K. Hawkins is the Associate Dean of External Affairs and Chief of Staff at the Northwestern University School of Communication. He supports the strategic vision of the Dean of the school and leads teams that manage communications, events, diversity, equity, and inclusion, high school programs, and performing arts venues in Evanston and Chicago. He also leads staff development and stakeholder engagement initiatives at the school. Before joining Northwestern, he was the Communications Director at Advance Illinois, an independent policy and advocacy organization focused on equity in public education. Prior to Advance Illinois, Hawkins was Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Engagement in the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. As a senior leader in the administration, Hawkins and his team connected residents, advocates, and activists to the administration through neighborhood outreach, community dialogues, and special events that celebrated the rich diversity of Chicago.

Prior to the Emanuel administration, Hawkins was Vice President of External Affairs at the Chicago Urban League, one of the region’s largest civil rights and economic development organizations. During his tenure at the Urban League, Hawkins was the lead strategist for marketing, communications, and public relations, and served on the statewide steering committee for the Illinois Unites for Marriage campaign. Before the Chicago Urban League, Hawkins was the Deputy Press Secretary to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, where he managed media relations and served as a spokesperson for the governor. He also played a key role in the responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Hawkins was the Communications Associate at The Chicago Community Trust from 2001 to 2004. While there, he led the launch of the Trust’s philanthropic initiatives in the African American and Latino communities.

In 2024 Hawkins’ civic leadership earned him a Chicago Defender Men
of Excellence honor as well as a community service award from Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx. He is a 2023 Center on Halsted Human First Award recipient. In 2018, he was named one of Chicago’s notable LGBTQ executives in Crain’s Chicago Business.

In 2023, Hawkins was appointed to the board of directors of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority by Governor JB Pritzker. He is vice-chair of the board of the Auditorium Theatre and an advisory board member for iHeartMedia Chicago and the Black Information Network.

From 2015-2021 Hawkins served on the board of Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest legal organization serving the LGBTQ+ community and people impacted by HIV. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hawkins is a graduate of Louisiana State University.