Cedric E. Nash, founder of Oakland Consulting Group, Inc. (Oakland), has served as its President and CEO since inception. Established in 1997, under the strategic leadership of Mr. Nash, Oakland quickly made its mark as a force to be reckoned with in the field of information technology (IT) consulting. Mr. Nash is the driver behind Oakland's strategic planning, business development and marketing endeavors.
Prior to founding Oakland, Mr. Nash spent eight years in the Army as a Transportation Officer. His over 20 years of information technology and project management experience began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked as a Software Engineer. Later, Mr. Nash joined Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young as an SAP consultant for two of the “Big Six” system integration firms and provided consulting services to a number of Fortune 500 corporations.
Mr. Nash has received national and local recognition for both his professional achievements and his community service. Black Enterprise magazine recognized his rapid rise to success in the IT consulting industry and he was named a finalist for their Emerging Company of the Year award, recognizing individual and professional achievements of African Americans that serve as an inspiration and guidance to others. Mr. Nash and Oakland Consulting have also been profiled in Corporate Corridors magazine for his success in forming strategic alliances. Locally, Mr. Nash was named as one of East Bay Business Times’ “2002 Forty under 40”, spotlighting local overachievers under the age of 40. He was a recipient of an Oaklandworks Academy Award for his work with inner-city Fremont High School, to which Mr. Nash and Oakland Consulting have been providing up-to-date technology including hardware, software, a LAN environment and Internet access since 1998. In 2003, Mr. Nash was awarded the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for the Oakland Chamber of Commerce for his dedication to serving his community while fully supporting the Chamber of Commerce business community.
Mr. Nash holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering from California Polytechnic State University and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Southern California.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
- Information Management: Strategy, Systems and Technology, “Guidelines for Choosing A Systems Integrator”, August 2000
- Chief Executive, “How To Avoid An IT Staffing Nightmare”, October 1999
- Fordyce Letter, “Advanced Technical Staffing: 7 Steps to Hiring the Right Help”, May 1999
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- National Black Data Procession Association, “Trends in the ERP Market”, August 1999
- SAP/Microsoft Technologies Seminar, “ALE in Action”, December 1996
AWARDS
- 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year from the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
- 2002 ICIC-Inc. Magazine Inner-City 100 winner ranking #18 fastest growing inner-city firm in America
- East Bay Business Times 2002 - 40 Under 40
- Nominated as a finalist “Emerging Business of the Year” Black Enterprise, May, 2001
- Inducted into the Year 2000 National Registry of Who’s Who, Registration #11595
- Proclamation from Mayor of Oakland for Donating 30 Computers to Fremont High School
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
- National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
- Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF)
- National Black Data Processing Associate
