Rhonda Crichlow, who as head of U.S. diversity and inclusion at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. played a key role in the company becoming the first ever to earn the top spot on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list two years in a row (2014 and 2015), has been named senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Charter Communications.
Crichlow, once described by Fair360, formerly DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti as “a serious-minded lawyer who does not suffer fools gladly,” spent the past 10 years at Novartis and was named vice president and head of U.S. diversity and inclusion in 2011.
In the newly created position at Charter, the second largest cable operator in the United States, Crichlow will be responsible for the overall strategic development and implementation of Charter’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, according to the company. She will be based out of Charter’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn.
“Rhonda and her team will work together, with the company’s full support, to ensure that diversity and inclusion strategies are integrated into all aspects of the organization,” said Tom Rutledge, Charter chairman and CEO, in a statement.
Prior to heading up diversity and inclusion at Novartis, Crichlow served as executive director of alliance development & philanthropy at the company, where she was responsible for overseeing efforts to build sustainable relationships with patient advocacy organizations and professional societies, and driving the U.S. strategy and implementation of NPC’s philanthropic initiatives, volunteer programs and workplace giving campaigns. Crichlow also served as president of the Novartis U.S. Foundation.
After receiving her law degree from the University of Virginia Law School, Crichlow worked as a tax attorney representing corporate clients with respect to federal tax controversy, litigation and business planning matters.
Before joining Novartis, Crichlow consulted for the Office of the Monitor, established pursuant to the Consent Decree entered in the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman litigations, which involved nationwide class actions brought by African American farmers alleging racial discrimination in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm credit and non-credit benefit programs. Crichlow also served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Ronald L. Buckwalter in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Crichlow has been recognized as a 2016 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary Award winner and a 2015 Top Blacks in Healthcare Award Honoree, which recognized individuals in the healthcare sector whose work creates access to healthcare for African Americans in underserved communities. In 2013 she also received the Cornerstone of the Community Award, honoring her long-standing support as a volunteer and board member of Family Service of Morris County.
