I have spent thirty-two years in corporate rooms where I was the only one who looked like me, figuring out the rules nobody teaches you. For more than twenty years as a consultant and corporate trainer, I have taught those rules to others.
I wrote this book because nobody gave it to me. When I started my career thirty-two years ago, I walked into corporate America with a degree, a suit that cost more than I could afford, and a quiet terror that I was about to be exposed as someone who did not belong.
I figured it out. Not because someone handed me a playbook, but because I paid attention. I studied human behavior in the work environment. I watched who got promoted and why. I learned which rules were written and which ones were unspoken. I built strategies for navigating power dynamics that most leadership books pretend do not exist.
I wrote the book I wish someone had given me thirty-two years ago. Not a theory. A toolkit. Built by someone who has been exactly where you are.
That is how the ENRICH Framework was born. I created it with Sherry M. Jerimie. ENRICH stands for Ethnicity, Nationality, Race, Identity, Culture, and Heritage. It names the dimensions of difference that shape how professionals experience the workplace, and it gives people a language and a strategy for navigating environments that were not built with them in mind. The ENRICH component runs through every DKA course.
I am the Principal of DKA Toolkit Inc., an Organizational Effectiveness Consultancy based in Brooklyn, New York. I offer executive and leadership coaching, corporate training, behavioral assessment profiling, and online courses in leadership development, cross-cultural communication, leading across difference, team building, and emotional intelligence. All of my coaching sessions are conducted via Zoom, working with clients across the globe.
From 2004 to 2022, I served as lead Corporate Trainer for Baruch College's Corporate/Executive Training Division. I trained executives and senior managers from organizations including AIG, Bellevue Hospital, the Port Authority of NY/NJ, Agricultural Bank of China, The Saudi Industrial Development Fund, NYC Department of Transportation, and many more.
I also served as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Baruch College (CUNY), where I taught MBA courses in the "American Leadership & Management" immersion program with ISG Business School and The International School of Management, both based in France.
DKA Toolkit teaches people at every level of work to read behavior and respond instead of react, so they can work well together, lead more effectively and get ahead, whether they’re the one who’s different or working with people who are.
A world of work where differences become a source of understanding and opportunity, not a barrier to success.
MBA in Management
Concentration in Organizational Behavior
Pace University, New York
BBA in Management
University of the District of Columbia
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY)
MBA courses in American Leadership & Management immersion program with ISG Business School and ISM (France)
Lead Corporate Trainer, 2004 to 2022
Baruch College Corporate/Executive Training Division
Leadership development, cross-cultural communication, leading across difference, team building, emotional intelligence
First-Ever Outstanding Instructor Award
Baruch College, School of Continuing & Professional Studies, 2006
NYC Certified MWBE Vendor
Executives and senior managers from global companies and public institutions
Leadership insights, workplace strategy, and the truth about navigating professional environments.
"I've worked at the NYC DOT for more than twenty-three years and in that time I have attended many different types of training, working groups, and seminars. Duane Andrews might be the best all around trainer/instructor I've ever met. His best quality was his ability to create the comfortable feeling of a one-on-one training environment despite the twenty-five other students in the session."John P.
"He is a leader with well-honed, real-world business experience; he embodies greatness and imparts practical business knowledge, which can be immediately applied to management practices within any industry. If you are looking for a course where you are looking at a series of slides and taking notes, look elsewhere, because he'll make you work and you'll thank him for it. He is that good, a true leader personified."Jessica H., PMP, CSM
"His knowledge of Leadership and Management is unmatched and his personal approach to learning is engaging, relevant and dynamic. Duane has been a pivotal resource in the development and implementation of our Corporate Leadership Programming. I would recommend him without reservation to my associates and colleagues."Evangelina O.
"It just took me the very first 10 minutes of his lecture to feel that Duane would bring a lot to me. Not only on a business/career development but also on a self-development level. He possesses a high sense of mental analysis to understand human behavior, psychological thinking, and brings it to a corporate environment. His lectures are both spiritual and professional enlightenment."Chantal T.
"I say this with 15 years of experience as an educational technologist who has worked closely with many lecturers in my career: he is by far one of the best lecturers in CUNY. During my first class, he was able to immediately correct my skill set and give me tools to shift to a more assertive style. He has done wonders for my day-to-day interaction with both my staff and peers."Billy L.
"In both classes, I not only learned the subject matter, but also learned more about myself than any other class. He's a challenging educator, and in his classes, I was forced to confront my fears and insecurities in a way therapists would envy. At the end of each class, I always felt energized and better equipped."Erick H.
"I have never seen such a perfect instructor in my life. He identifies, addresses and corrects the weaknesses in each of us. He never simply gives the answers to questions. He facilitates student discussions: allowing thinking and talking to find the correct solution. He is able to get to the core of problems and solve them in a very short timespan!"Bruce C.
"Duane deserves an award for being the professor that changed the most lives of his students! He always provides a motivational, nonjudgmental, challenging and honest environment for his students to share, learn, change and grow. In a short period of time, Duane has shifted my way of thinking and managing. You must be INSANE to not pick him as your business management/leadership guru."Van M. V.
"He made me question what I have known and learned from the past, and my thought process overall. I became more aware and acquainted with myself as I relate with others. He makes the classroom environment safe where his students can engage freely in discussions without prejudice and fear of rejection. He's truly a gift to his students."Shiela G.
"The department is currently seeing positive organizational growth that can be directly attributed to his training. His creative approach to public sector management issues resonated well with the management trainees."Sharon F.
"Many teach, few inspire. Duane Andrews is truly an inspirational and motivational communicator, educator and leader. The depth of knowledge and real-life expertise, along with his great humor, make every class a delight! His contagious enthusiasm and energy fill the classroom and encourage students to open up."Vlada G.
"His ability to deal with a culturally diverse group and draw on his varied background makes his class one of the most enjoyable learning experiences I have had in the last decade! Duane has a practical approach to his training, which I imagine translates well into consulting work."Jayant S.
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