Randal Pinkett, trump's new apprentice, appreciates Black support he's received

Jet, Jan 16, 2006

New Jersey entrepreneur Dr. Randal Pinkett is the newest winner and the first Black to be crowned "The Apprentice" on the fourth season of Donald Trump's NBC reality show.

And he tells Jet that during the show and since the win he has received a great deal of support and well wishes, especially from the Black community.

"The response particularly from the African-American community has been incredible and I look forward to continuing to represent that community in the year ahead," he says.

Pinkett, 34, beat out finalist Rebecca Jarvis, 24, a Chicago financial journalist, and 16 other candidates to win his new post. During the season Pinkett, president and CEO of the Newark, NJ, management, technology and policy consulting firm BCT Partners, was undefeated in the show's project manager tasks. To secure his win in the 2-hour finale, he managed a fundraiser for Autism Speaks raising $11,000 by auction.

As the new apprentice Pinkett chose to work on Trump's casino expansions for an intended year in Atlantic City, NJ. He was also offered a Jersey City, NJ, condominium construction project.

During the finale Trump surprised the winner and the runner-up by asking Pinkett if he should also hire Jarvis. Pinkett politely told him no.

"I firmly believe this is "The Apprentice,'" he replied, "that there is one and only [one] 'Apprentice' and if you're going to hire anyone tonight, there should only be one. This is 'The Apprentice' not 'The Apprenti'."

Born in Philadelphia and raised in East Windsor, NJ, Pinkett holds five academic degrees in engineering, business and technology including a B.S. from Rutgers University, an M.S. from the University of Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar (Jet, Aug. 22, 1994), and an M.S., M.B.A and Ph.D. from MIT.

Pinkett has received several awards including NCAA Academic All-American and National Member of the Year by the National Society of Black Engineers. Pinkett, married for 1 1/2 years to his wife Zahara, was also featured in the January 2001 issue of Ebony Magazine as one of the "30 Leaders of the Future."