Dr. Rafael Class II
“The Compliance-to-Character Architect.” A multi-disciplinary scholar-practitioner, student affairs executive, and operational architect who translates complex statutory mandates into streamlined, supportive institutional environments.
Scholar-Practitioner & Executive Consultant · Principal Higher Education Regulatory & Student Success Architect · Adjunct Professor of Corporate Governance & Organizational Ethics · Licensed Real Estate Broker & Capital Risk Manager
To lead and transform modern higher education institutions by integrating rigorous legal compliance, advanced financial and spatial asset stewardship, and quantitative process engineering with restorative justice and inclusive student advocacy — clearing clear pathways to academic completion and upward social mobility for first-generation, non-traditional, and marginalized student cohorts.
To serve as a transformative university president, provost, or chief executive officer, pioneering a national model of institutional governance that views physical campus assets, legal compliance frameworks, and academic programs as a single, unified “Achievement Ecosystem” designed to maximize student retention and lifelong career readiness.
Dr. Rafael Class II is a multi-disciplinary scholar-practitioner, student affairs executive, and operational architect whose career stands as a testament to professional resilience, self-directed strategy, and academic transformation.
He holds an earned Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Liberty University, a Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Compliance from Drexel University, a Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) from Fordham University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from the University of the Southwest, and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Organizational Management from Alliance University — a portfolio intentionally built to solve higher education’s most complex and interlocking vulnerabilities: legal exposure, fiscal instability, operational friction, and declining student persistence.
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Organizational Leadership
Master of Legal Studies (MLS), Compliance
Master of Science (M.S.), Real Estate
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Organizational Management
Director of Operations
Elected Inmate Grievance Representative, DOCCS Directive 4919
B.S., Organizational Management conferred
Gubernatorial Pardon & Certificate of Relief from Disabilities
General Manager, Auxiliary Operations & Compliance
MBA in Finance conferred, 3.83 GPA
Senior Credit Risk Analyst
Adjunct Professor, Corporate Governance & Organizational Ethics
Director of Academic Operations & Student Success
Higher Education Regulatory Operations Specialist
Principal Consultant, Operations & Compliance
Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership conferred
M.S. in Real Estate conferred
Licensed Real Estate Broker & Capital Risk Manager
MLS in Compliance conferred
Personal Transformation
Dr. Class’s leadership narrative was not inherited through a legacy pedigree or academic privilege; it was forged in the Bronx, NY, raised between the Patterson Projects and Spanish Harlem’s Washington Projects. Navigating severe economic hardship as the son of a single mother, he encountered systemic barriers early in life, leading to a volatile period that culminated in his arrest in April 2014 and a conviction for Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree. In December 2016, he was sentenced to a three-and-a-half-year prison term followed by post-release supervision.
Rather than allowing a prison cell to represent an institutional dead end, Dr. Class re-authored his destiny, utilizing the environment as an intellectual crucible. He enrolled in an elite prison education program through Alliance University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and graduating with a 3.22 GPA while incarcerated. His peer-recognized leadership led to his election as an Inmate Grievance Representative under NYS DOCCS Directive 4919, where he arbitrated over 500 complex statutory and administrative disputes — laying the empirical foundation for his proprietary Cultural Synergy Framework™.
Upon release, his transformation was validated by the highest levels of state governance: a conditional gubernatorial pardon in April 2019, restoring his full civil rights, followed by a permanent Certificate of Relief from Disabilities in October 2021, erasing all legal barriers to his professional licensure, employment, and societal contributions.
- Dec 2018B.S. conferred, Alliance University — 3.22 GPA while incarcerated
- Feb 2019Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, NYS DOCCS
- Apr 2019Conditional Gubernatorial Pardon, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo
- Oct 2021Successful discharge from supervision — permanent, unconditional release
Licensed Real Estate Professional
New York & Illinois State Boards
Certified Leader of DEI
National OSHA Training
Skills: Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI), Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), +1 skill
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate
USF Corporate Training and Professional Education
Career Essentials in Project Management by Microsoft and LinkedIn
Microsoft
Skills: Project Management
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Management & Strategy Institute
Skills: Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Black Belt, +6 skills
Change Management Specialist (CMS)
Management & Strategy Institute
Skills: Change Management, Change Initiatives, +11 skills
Leading for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education
University of Michigan
Skills: Diversity & Inclusion, Cultural Diversity, +4 skills
Organizational Leadership in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Rice University — Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
Skills: Organizational Development, Organizational Effectiveness, +7 skills
Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations
Rice University — Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
Human Rights Education Training
US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights
- Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society — inducted 2021
- MBA with High Distinction — University of the Southwest, 3.83 GPA
- Gubernatorial Restorative Commendation — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Professional Award — Management & Strategy Institute
- Excellence in Change Management National Award — Management & Strategy Institute