Carlos Dortrait: New chair and Rider strong

By Brannagh Rattigan

Carlos Dortrait was inducted as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees on July 20, but his relationship with Rider dates back to 1996. As an alum, ’00, who graduated with a degree in business, Dortrait is more than an administrator, but a fellow Bronc.

During his time as a student, Dortrait was a brother of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc., the chair of the finance committee for student government, on the orientation staff and a first-generation student.

Involvement was important to Dortrait because being provided the opportunity of education from his parents was a chance to become successful.

“My parents always said, ‘We’re not going to leave you an abundance of money, but what we will leave you with is an education, and that’s something that nobody will be able to take away from you,’” Dortrait said.

Through Rider, Dortrait found his first internship at Johnson & Johnson, opening up the pathway to pharmaceuticals, which he now works in at Bristol Myers Squibb as the senior vice president of Neuroscience Commercialization and Global Commercial Strategy.

With his position at BMS, Dortrait has been able to turn around businesses and enhance his skillset as a leader, expressing an intention to implement those experiences and talents to help advance the mission of the university.

The role of the Chair of the Board of Trustees covers a lot of ground, including supporting, hiring and evaluating the president, improving strategy and the budget, overseeing finances and bringing on new board members.

While these are the standard objectives of the position, Dortrait intends to reach higher, taking advantage of the period of growth and transformation Rider is currently experiencing.

“I think, at the same time, we need to showcase more students, the successes of the successful people at Rider, the people who are there now and the people who have been there, because we really have to drive enrollment,” Dortrait said.

With a son currently looking at colleges, Dortrait has expressed a deeper understanding of keeping Rider modern and relevant in programs and staying on the cutting edge of things as the university powers through previous financial struggles.

“We have made some significant strides with [President John Loyack]’s leadership, from a financial perspective. Now it’s about creating financial stability and focusing more on innovation and growth,” Dortrait said. “We’ve got to move away from that uncertainty period.”

To accomplish this, Dortrait shared a desire to help build the skills, confidence and leadership it takes for students to go out into the world, as well as reinvesting into students, programs, hands-on learning experiences and alumni engagement.

Keith Kemo, an associate dean of students, who knew Dortrait from his time as a student, endorsed Dortrait to be a very promising new Chair for the Board of Trustees. 

“His business record speaks for itself, he’s been a very successful businessman in the healthcare industry, so I think he’s well suited,” Kemo said. “You’ve got a successful businessman who also, in my recollection, was a very successful student when he was at Rider. So, with a brand new clean slate, we’ve got nothing but good things to expect.”

In addition to having confidence in Dortrait’s business career, Kemo expressed that he believes Dortrait will bring multiple important, underrepresented perspectives to the table, as well as new ideas.

“I think this new president, coupled with a new Chair of The Board, are positioned to really do that and take Rider into that new positive direction,” Kemo said.

Dortrait undeniably has a long-lasting relationship with Rider, as well as a strong mindset in leading the university to success, alongside the rest of The Board of Trustees. 

“Everything I do in my life has to be grounded in purpose,” Dortrait said.

Overall, Dortrait wants to boost education for students, first and all generations, due to his belief that education is fundamental to success and views it as his responsibility to assist in providing that high-quality schooling to Rider students.

Dortrait said, “That’s the goal. Students like all my nieces and nephews, and future Dortraits who end up going to Rider, to have the same opportunity offered to them that was offered to me. I would not be living the life that I live today if it wasn’t for the education that I got.”