Laura Kray

Professor | The Ned and Carol Spieker Chair in Leadership | Chair, Management of Organizations Group | Faculty Director, Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership, Haas School of Business
circular headshot of Laura Kray

"Reminding ourselves that life could have turned out differently helps us not only to understand why events took one turn rather than another, but also gives greater meaning to the turn that events did take."

Laura Kray is a leading expert on the social psychological barriers influencing women’s career attainment. Kray is the recipient of multiple research awards from the Academy of Management, the International Association of Conflict Management, and the California Management Review. Kray is a fellow to both the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. From 2017 to 2018, she was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Some of her current research seeks to debunk popular myths about the gender pay gap and to identify solutions to gender inequality in the workplace.

Kray’s research has been supported multiple times by the National Science Foundation and has been featured in a wide range of media outlets, including the Washington Post, New Yorker, National Public Radio, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Financial Times, Slate, Forbes, Huffington Post, Daily Beast, Scientific American, Businessweek, and Time.

In addition to research and teaching, Kray consults frequently with global organizations seeking to develop the next generation of leaders who are committed to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion. Kray founded the Women’s Executive Leadership Program of Berkeley Executive Education in 2008 and she remains the faculty director today. She is also the faculty director of the Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership.

Laura also co-creates impactful custom programs for our corporate, government, and university partners.  

3 action shots of Laura Kray
Programs for Individuals 
Academic Background 

PhD, Psychology, University of Washington

BA, Organizational Studies, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Publications & Media

Videos 

A Look Inside the Women's Executive Leadership Program

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Power & Authenticity

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Stereotypes & Performance Techniques

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Women, Leadership & the Silicon Valley

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Papers & Articles 

“I won’t let you down:” Personal ethical lapses arising from women’s advocating for others.

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Changing the Narrative: Women as Negotiators—and Leaders

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The Solidarity Strategy

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Women, Negotiation, and Career Advancement

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Power and Balance: A Growth Mindset Benefits both Men and Women

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Are Women More Ethical Than Men?

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Awards & Honors 
  • Faculty research grants, University of California, 2005, 2006
  • Junior Faculty Research Grant, University of California, 2004
  • Schwabacher Fellow, University of California at Berkeley, 2004-2005
  • Office of the President’s Academic Enrichment Grant, University of California, 2002
  • National Science Foundation, Decision, Risk, & Management Sciences program, The role of counterfactual mind-sets in debiasing group decisions (Collaborative project with Adam Galinsky), June, 2002
  • Best Empirical Paper Award, International Association of Conflict Management Meetings, Cergy, France, June 2001
  • Robbins Fellowship in Management and Policy, University of Arizona, 2001-2004
  • National Science Foundation, co-funded by the POWRE and Decision, Risk, & Management Sciences programs, Gender stereotypes and the gender gap: A new look at female-male negotiations, July 2000
  • Dispute Resolution Research center Grant, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Accountability and risk preference in self choice-advice discrepancy, Spring 1999
  • Dispute Resolution Research center Grant, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Self-interest, social identity and the social construction of injustice, Fall 1999
  • Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Meetings, Conflict Management Division, San Diego, CA, August, 1998
  • Post-Doctoral Research Award, Dispute Resolution Research Center, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 1997-1999
  • Best Empirical Paper Award, International Association of Conflict Management Meetings, Bonn, Germany, June 1997
  • Dissertation Research Award, University of Washington Graduate School, 1996-1997
Programs for Individuals 
Academic Background 

PhD, Psychology, University of Washington

BA, Organizational Studies, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Publications & Media

Videos 

A Look Inside the Women's Executive Leadership Program

WATCH VIDEO

Power & Authenticity

WATCH VIDEO

Stereotypes & Performance Techniques

WATCH VIDEO

Women, Leadership & the Silicon Valley

WATCH VIDEO
VIEW MORE
Papers & Articles 

“I won’t let you down:” Personal ethical lapses arising from women’s advocating for others.

VIEW

Changing the Narrative: Women as Negotiators—and Leaders

VIEW

The Solidarity Strategy

VIEW

Women, Negotiation, and Career Advancement

VIEW

Power and Balance: A Growth Mindset Benefits both Men and Women

VIEW

Are Women More Ethical Than Men?

VIEW
VIEW MORE