It would be at least thirty years ago that a certain railroad hired a diverse official at a good-sized division point, and he became a minor legend to the employees because he knew precisely nothing about railroading, was not afraid of demonstrating that he knew nothing about railroading, and was comfortable telling people that he "had it made" in the company's management because of his race.
He was a personable guy, so people basically laughed and carried on. To nobody's surprise, he was promoted to bigger and better things.
A guy like that has public relations written all over him.