Rev. Dr. Albert Edwards, III

CEO | Founder | 7th & Hope, LLC

A native of Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Albert Edwards, III was raised in the midwest and has lived in Kansas City, MO and Detroit, MI, where he completed his high school education at John J. Pershing High School, and having received Varsity Letters in Football, Basketball and Baseball. Albert was President of the Pershing High School Senior Class of 1974. Dr. Edwards has been married to Deirdre Edwards for 38 years, who is an Executive Education Administrator with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE).  They have three adult children, Alexandria Danielle Edwards-Brooks (35); Albert Edwards, IV (32); and Phillip Alexander Edwards (24).  Also, they have been blessed with two grandchildren, Adrielle Marie Brooks (10) and Daxton Wade Brooks (3).

Professionally, Albert is global Executive Leadership Development Consultant and Executive Coach, with more than 30 years of humanresources, talent management, leadership, and organization development experience.  He is Founder and Principal Consultant of 7th and Hope, LLC, an Executive Coaching, Organization and Leadership Development Consulting firm based in Southern California.  As an organizational psychologist, Dr. Edwards has a breadth and depth of knowledge in the areas strategic planning and leadership dynamics and has been called upon to coach and facilitate leaders and groups to enhance the clarification around strategic direction, roles, inter and intra-team conflict, and transformation at the board and organizational leadership levels.

Academically, Dr. Edwards holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science/Sociology from Alma College in Alma, Michigan (where he was named “Outstanding Senior Male,” Class of 1979; a Masters in Organization Development/Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of Pennsylvania; and a Doctor of Psychology in Organization Development/Consulting Psychology from Alliant International University’s Marshall Goldsmith School of Management in San Diego, California. Dr. Edwards has served as Chair of the Business and Industrial Organizational Psychology Department at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles, where he was instrumental in the development and launch of the Master’s Degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology and the Doctor of Psychology Degree in Business Psychology. He is a Certified Professional Performance Coach recognized by the International Coach Federation.

Dr. Edwards’ professional background includes senior regional executive level positions in the areas of Global HR Management, Organizational Effectiveness, Organization Development, Talent Management, Diversity, and Employee Engagement. He has demonstrated exceptional knowledge, skills and ability, and an energetic, global work style in executive positions in organizations including, Saudi Electricity Company (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), General Motors Corporation, Chrysler Motors Corporation, Pepsi-Co, Gannett Publishing, and Constellation Energy. 

Dr. Edwards is an Ordained Deacon in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

Dr. Edwards is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.