Kellie McElhaney

Dr. Kellie McElhaney is a distinguished professor and a leading voice in impact leadership. As the founder of two, leadership-focused centers at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, she has profoundly shaped leadership education. Guided by a deep belief that business is a force for positive change, she delivers provocative thought leadership, evidence-based storytelling, and bold action to support corporate boards, business leaders, and students in tackling society’s biggest opportunities and challenges while winning in the marketplace.

Dr. McElhaney teaches courses on Impact Leadership, the Business of Women’s Sports, and Personal Brand. Through Haas Executive Education, she designs and teaches leadership programs across the USA, Europe, and Middle East.

At UC Berkeley, she serves on the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women and the Gender Equity Committee for Cal Athletics. She is the Faculty Fellow for Cal Women's Basketball, and leads workshops for student athletes on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), leadership and personal brand. In her consultancy practice, Kellie offers strategic advisory services, educational workshops, and tailored solutions for leading corporations, boards, and nonprofits. Her clients include Google, Levi Strauss & Co., NVIDIA, HP, Meta, and Ernst & Young. Dr. McElhaney also serves on the boards of Dome Construction Corporation, Coqual and Impactivize. Her thought leadership is further reflected in her book, Just Good Business:The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand, along with numerous case studies of innovative companies such as Gap, Inc., Google and Zendesk.

A sought-after global keynote speaker, Dr. McElhaney has shared her insights at events including TED, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Her upcoming "Leadership Academy for Women's Sports," launching in March 2026, will empower leaders within the women's professional sports ecosystem.

Dr. McElhaney holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Her earlier career in retail banking involved commercial lending, acquisitions, and corporate leadership development, laying a solid foundation for her impactful work through business.

Expertise and Research Interests

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Value-creating Strategies of Diversity and Inclusion
• Equity Fluent Leadership
• The Gender Wage Gap
• Gender Equity
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Women in Leadership
• Conscious Inclusion