2014 Game Changer: Keith Henderson

When he’s not appearing on reality TV show “Big Brother,” mentoring disadvantaged youths from Joliet, Illinois, or coaching high school basketball, Keith Henderson is directing the everyday human resources functions at Job Corps of Illinois.

Henderson, 35, is responsible for maintaining effective programs in recruiting and retention, benefits and compensation, and overall organizational development for Job Corps, a program run by the U.S. Labor Department that offers free education and vocational training to young people aged 16 to 24.

Henderson takes his job as HR director seriously, as he often has to make “decisions that can change people’s lives.” And as the leader of the Footsteps Mentorship Program, he plays an active role in the lives of many disadvantaged youths around Joliet, which is about 40 miles south of Chicago. Henderson said his “biggest win yet” for the program came after one of the participants landed a college basketball scholarship.