Candidate for
Council Member; City of La Quinta

Robert and Charlotte have been married for 10 years and live in La Quinta. They are the parents of a five year old boy, Max, and as all parents they juggle careers and family life with schools, parks & recreation, and soccer & basketball practices.

Community

Robert and Charlotte are active in the community. Charlotte volunteers with the La Quinta Arts Foundation, at Benjamin Franklin Elementary, and at St. Francis of Assisi in La Quinta, where she teaches catechism. After a career as an executive in the private sector, Charlotte recently received her Master of Arts in Teaching Degree at USC, and serves as an elementary school teacher in the district.

Robert has been serving on the Steering Committee of the La Quinta Cove Neighborhood Association since 2007. He enjoys meeting and collaborating with City Staff in solving a variety of community issues. When dedicated Eagle Scout Andrew Davis proposed the 9-11 Memorial to the City Council in early 2011, Robert arranged and paid for the shipping of the World Trade Center's steel artifact from the from New York, and also donated his time and talent in designing and developing the Memorial.

Robert also enjoys collaborating with the La Quinta Arts Foundation, the La Quinta Museum. Robert and Charlotte serve on the Board of the La Quinta Historical Society. A firm believer that our trails are an economic engine for our community as they drive visitors to our businesses and restaurants, Robert regularly participates in clean ups of La Quinta trails, and in the eradication of the destructive Sahara Mustard. When budget cuts were implemented in 2012, Charlotte and Robert donated the necessary funds to the City of La Quinta to maintain two community parks.

Charlotte and Robert volunteer with the Swim to Win Foundation, collecting, encoding and analyzing statistical data for the annual event Just Add Swim, a program geared to teach safety to thousands (by Olympians) of kids in the Coachella Valley.

Passionate about creating education opportunities for others, Robert serves as a Member of the Board at the World Affairs Council of the Desert (WACD). The organization's mission is to educate adults and students in the Coachella Valley in international affairs. Academic WorldQuest is an active youth program sponsored by WACD, consistently engaging the participation of teams from every single private and public High School in the Coachella Valley.

Robert served as a mentor in the MAS (Mentors Advising Students) program of the Pathways to Success at CVEP. Robert also served a two-year term as an Executive Board Member of Scholarship America + California, the nation's largest private sector scholarship and educational support organization. During Robert's term on the Board, the organization awarded $ 985,000 in scholarships to students at UC Riverside, Cal State San Bernardino and College of the Desert.

Professional Background

Robert Radi is an entrepreneur, a businessman, and a scholar.

In 1993, at the age of 22, Robert founded and operated a professional consulting firm serving national and global brands for 19 years. Robert has been a consultant to corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Guthy-Renker, Procter & Gamble, Snapware, MOBI Technology, Toyota, Neutrogena, Wolfgang Puck Appliances, Warner Music, Daimler Chrysler and many others. He was instrumental in the development of consumer product platforms generating over $100 million in annual revenues. Robert received over 20 international awards for innovation excellence, and he has been party to 28 monetized design and utility patents.

Robert was later appointed as President of China US Strategic Ventures an organization founded by former California State Government Officials, Entrepreneurs, Experts and Scholars from various industries in California, and functioning as a platform alliance focused on the alignment of policies, capital and management.

Robert also serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisers for Taylor Realty Advisors (Las Vegas, NV) an organization specialized in the development of Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) facilities and Skilled Nursing (SNF) facilities in the Western Region of the USA.

While successfully running his business, he spent 8 years as an adjunct professor at Otis College mentoring students. Robert was later invited by Education Management Corporation (NASDAQ: EDMC) to serve as a Professor of Business and Management lecturing in all aspects of marketing, financial management, organization development and strategy. Most recently he was invited by Benedictine University to serve as a Professor in their MBA program, teaching Global Finance and Economics. Robert guest lectures at Pepperdine University at the Graziadio School of Business and Management in their MBA's Economics classes.

Born and raised in Italy, Robert has been educated in Europe and in the United States. His relationship with the United States started early in life, as Robert's father served as CEO of Rheem-Radi a brand with interests in Europe and the USA, and R&D offices in Chicago. As part of his compulsory service in the Italian Army, Robert served in Commando Logistic under a joint NATO command during the 1991 Gulf War. He permanently relocated in the USA in September 1991 after been honorably discharged. Robert holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was inducted in the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. He is completing a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership with concentration in Management at the Chicago School where he maintains a 4.0 GPA. He was trained in Executive Leadership at Cornell University.