Leon (Kip) Bordelon IV Founder & Director of Operations and Programming

Growing up in Long Grove, Illinois, a predominantly all-white Chicago suburb, The Picardy Group's founder, Kip Bordelon, discovered very early on that diversity is something that can be rare in many places. In Long Grove, Kip attended pre-K, kindergarten, and grade school at an elementary school where he and his two siblings were the only other black students in the school. The only diversity in his life at that time was at home with his parents and siblings. The street name he and his family lived on is Picardy Court. The company's name is a constant reminder that many places are not naturally diverse. And while this is a reality in many communities, it should not prevent students and adults from pursing more diversity and acquiring the cultural awareness that may otherwise remain outside their life experiences. The Picardy Group is passionate about reaching individuals and institutions interested in growing a diverse presence and reaching its diversity goals.

For more than a decade, Kip has worked at the United States General Services Administration where he has awarded and managed contracts worth millions of dollars and written, implemented and enforced federal acquisition policy. Kip’s interest in policy affairs began at an early age. Although he is a life-long Chicagoan, he attended Lawrence Academy, a New England independent/boarding school, where he discovered his passion for American History, the law, and the importance of diversity. Kip graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science. He then earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from the same university- where he also won the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award for leadership. While matriculating at UIC, he founded the student group Diversity in Demand. In 2012, Kip established The ASSI Group, now The Picardy Group, where he has provided recruiting and consulting services to federal agencies, New England independent schools, Chicago Public Schools, and local private schools and has been a guest participant on panels at conferences and similar events. 

  “You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed.” –Frederick Douglass