Prep for Prep Is Pleased to Announce the 2023 Alumni Prize Recipient, Roland Persaud

Roland began his journey in public service as a Planning and Development Associate at the Center for Employment Opportunities, a nonprofit organization that provides immediate, effective, and comprehensive employment services to individuals with recent criminal convictions. In 2013, he participated in the New York University (NYU) Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service (FELPS), which offers professional enrichment opportunities to up-and-coming leaders pursuing careers in public service. Always looking to support the next generation, Roland returned as an alumni guide for the 2017 cohort of FELPS.

Through Prep for Prep, Roland secured an internship with Bloomberg LP’s Global Data team while 
completing his undergraduate degree at Princeton. In 2012, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 
sociology and a certificate in African American Studies. In 2015, he joined Bloomberg Philanthropies and progressed within the foundation’s Government Innovation Team where he currently serves as a Senior Program Officer. In this capacity, he manages various investments, including a global network of Innovation Teams, and oversees the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. He furthered his education by obtaining an Executive MPA from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 2020.

A native of White Plains, New York, Roland is a dedicated member of Prep for Prep’s New York Metro 
Region Leadership Academy, Contingent II. Roland showed an early commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders after completing his undergraduate degree. He conducted mock interviews with high schoolers seeking summer internships and judging intern presentations for Prep undergraduate students through 2019. He contributed to Prep for Prep’s community as a member of the Alumni Council between 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of both the Fundraising and Community Engagement Committees, and from 2019 to 2022, served as Chair of the Alumni Council’s Fundraising Committee. As an Alumni Trustee on Prep’s Board, Roland collaborated with staff and fellow volunteers to strategize and execute alumni fundraising initiatives and events, advocated for internships at top companies and nonprofit organizations for Prep students, and worked on developing the organization’s volunteer leadership pipeline.