The illegal alien superintendent hired by an ex-Michelle Obama staffer in Iowa before ICE finally tracked him down also had a lucrative DEI consulting gig.
Even the woke Associated Press is now admitting what a scandal Ian Roberts is, revealing after an investigation that the ex-superintendent with a criminal history and falsified credentials also had a shady side gig that he tied profitably to his main job. The serial liar who illegally possessed a firearm made a career off corruption.
Only a few months into his taxpayer-funded superintendent job, Roberts asked the Des Moines school board to grant emergency approval for $116,000 in contracts. But it turned out one contract was set to enrich Kansas City-based Lively Paradox, which sold Roberts’s books and promoted him as a speaker and consultant, the AP explained. Warned this was a conflict of interest, Roberts canceled the scheduled special board meeting.
But the story doesn’t end there, according to the AP. In fact, Roberts made quite a bit of money hooking up Lively Paradox with districts where he worked.
The AP found that as Roberts’ profile in education rose, his connection with Lively Paradox and its founder Nicole Price became rewarding during a period when many organizations championed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Blurring the line between his public and private jobs, the investigation found tens of thousands of dollars in contracts were awarded to Price from school districts where Roberts held leadership posts.
In fact, Roberts reportedly found a way to funnel the money to his side gig without board approval. Lively Paradox received $6,476 in consulting and travel expenses after Nicole Price organized a two-hour “team-building exercise” at a school board retreat in late 2023.
Roberts not only landed a job in Des Moines, but he had found employment at multiple school districts in four different states. That benefitted Price.
As Roberts changed jobs, Price and Lively Paradox followed behind getting new clients, the AP found…In a 2021 video posted on Instagram, Roberts joined Price to celebrate Lively Paradox’s five-year anniversary. She recalled targeting St. Louis Public Schools for business for the new firm when Roberts served as network superintendent… After Roberts became an administrator at Aspire Public Schools in Oakland, that public charter school system paid Price at least $8,300 for services.
Price, who co-wrote two different books with Roberts, raved about him as a “former Olympian and inspiring educator,” per the AP. After his arrest, Price gushed that he was “calm under pressure, leading with empathy, mission driven and focused and just able to bring people along.”
Price met Roberts at an airport even before she founded Lively Paradox, which she did after being fired, the AP reported. Roberts was in on the grift from the beginning.
The DEI propagandist and the illegal alien are still in collaboration as Price compiles a book of Roberts’s sayings. Unsurprisingly, however, Price had to admit that their previous books did not exactly have good sales, and most of the sales came from Roberts buying his own books to distribute at conferences. Roberts believed in convincing districts never to fire people for incompetence. No wonder — that would have affected him.
It’s unclear how much outside income Roberts received. Lively Paradox advertises a two-day “high performance workshop” for $38,975, keynote presentations for $15,000, and coaching packages for $9,995.
Price asserted she had no idea Roberts was an illegal alien with a previous order of removal. Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to know — as he was too valuable a conduit for cash.
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