Academic All-American, NCAA Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship, New Jersey Martin Luther King Commemorative Commission Triumph Award, and the MIT Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award, from among a host of other recognitions and accolades. He is a proud brand ambassador for Verizon Communications, Outback Steakhouse, and the Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series.
Dr. Pinkett holds five academic degrees including the following: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, that he completed with a 3.9 GPA while serving as President of MEET, the Rutgers Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Captain of the Rutgers University Varsity Men's Track and Field team competing as a high jumper and long jumper; Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from Oxford University, England as a Rhodes Scholar; Master of Science (S.M.) in Electrical Engineering from the MIT School of Engineering and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management as a participant in the MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Program; and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the MIT Media Laboratory. Most notably, Dr. Pinkett made history as the first African-American ever to receive a Rhodes Scholarship at Rutgers University.
A published writer and academic scholar, Dr. Pinkett's first book, Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business, was released in February 2007. That same year he also released the audio book, The No-Money Down CEO: How to Start Your Dream Business with Little or No Cash. In addition to more than 20 papers and articles, Dr. Pinkett has authored chapters in five books including: Managing IT/Community Partnerships in the 21st Century; Journey to the Ph.D.: How to Navigate the Process as African-Americans; Community Practice in the Network Society: Local Action/Global Interaction; The Network Society: A Cross-cultural Perspective; and Universal Usability: Designing Computer Interfaces for Diverse User Populations. His master's thesis at the University of Oxford was entitled, "Hardware/Software Co-Design and Digital Speech Processing". His master's thesis at MIT was entitled, "Product Development Process Modeling and Analysis of Digital Wireless Telephones." His doctoral dissertation at MIT was entitled, "Creating Community Connections: Sociocultural Constructionism and an Asset-Based Approach to Community Technology and Community Building in a Low-Income Community." Lastly, he is currently co-authoring a book with his Rutgers roommate and business partner, Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, tentatively entitled, Black Faces in White Places, which chronicles their experiences as African Americans who have successfully navigated predominantly white institutions.
Dr. Pinkett maintains an active involvement in community service. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). He is a national spokesperson for Autism Speaks, the National Black MBA Association (Gold Key Access events), New Jersey Reads ("Change a Life Through Literacy" campaign) and Junior Achievement of New York (Groundhog Job Shadow Day program). BCT Partners does considerable work with community-based organizations; his doctoral dissertation at MIT examined the role of high technology in improving the quality of life.