May 19, 2026

Curtis L. Jenkins has a long list of positions and credentials to his name: Author and motivational speaker, licensed Project Management Professional and consultant. He serves as vice president of project management at Solenis and runs his own consulting firm, Jenkins & Associates.

Jenkins didn’t follow a straightforward path to attaining those titles. A Philadelphia native, he started his college career at Drexel before ultimately receiving his degree as a night student at Temple University, then later earning a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

That trajectory is not dissimilar from the non-traditional path that so many Goodwin College students follow, and it forms the basis of what Jenkins will share with members of the Goodwin Class of 2026 as Commencement keynote speaker.

After being laid off from a sought-after job in 2002, Jenkins developed a strategic vision for his life and career and became determined not to find himself in desperate straits again. “For value and visibility, let me take on what everybody else doesn't want,” he says, describing his mindset. “That was my introduction to mergers and acquisitions and enterprise transformation projects. I'm always asking for the tough assignment.”

He’s deliberately accumulated experience throughout his career and then related it to others through the books “The Only Job Search Book You’ll Ever Need” and “Vision to Reality: Stop Working, Start Living.”

“Early on, I learned what connects with people, so I was teaching, and at the same time, learning, and that's always been who I am,” he says. “I love to share what I know.”

The career-management framework he lays out in “Vision to Reality” will form the basis of a third book, a follow-up to the original job-search one that will incorporate stories from job seekers, hiring managers, HR leaders, job coaches, recruiters and others whom he interviewed for his “Vision to Reality” podcast.

“The third book will tie together the first and second ones, and incorporate AI, remote work and other current phenomena in the workforce,” he says.

One anecdote he loves to share dates back to before his writing and podcasting activities; it’s from one of the friends he made at Drexel — he calls them the “Class of ’82” after the year they first entered the University — and has stayed close with over the years.

“My close friend told me about the five things you need to live an extraordinary life,” Jenkins says. “He would share them with his kids, he shared them me, and I’m going to share them with the Goodwin graduates: eat well, sleep well, be bold and present in the moment, work harder than everybody else, and have faith.”

“I’m going to focus on the third one and say, we are living in a distracted society, and everything that you need is right in front of you, but you have to be present to see the opportunities.”

How might that apply to those in the Class of 2026 who are celebrating their new college diploma or another credential? “Be bold about what you bring to the table. Leverage the school, your classmates, your professors — the whole ecosystem,” he says. “Be present with them and they will know who you are, what you are capable of, they know your character, and that new degree you have reflects well on Drexel.”

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