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About Jackie

Full Name:

Jackie Stavros

Languages Spoken:

English

Biography

JACKIE STAVROS, DM, passion is working with others to create purpose and meaningful results for positive change. She is recognized for her creation of SOAR, a positive approach to strategic thinking, planning, conversations, and leading. She is professor and management consultant in the College of Business and Information Technology at Lawrence Technological University. She is a Faculty Athletic Representative at LTU, where she enjoys working with student athletes to empower them to navigate and advocate for themselves. She inspires them with lifework. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in management, organization development, leadership, and strategic management.

She has worked across all sectors and in over 25 countries using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to affect the lives of thousands or people and hundreds of organizations improve capacity to thrive, engage in whole system strategic planning, and increase performance. She is on a mission to co-create a global movement of conversations worth having to recognize each other’s humanity and create organizations and communities that work for everyone. She is co-founder of CWH Institute Inc and serves on several advisory boards. Her research is grounded in AI, neuroscience, and positive psychology to help others understand how their conversations influence their wellbeing and ability to succeed. She is a keynote speaker on positive approaches to leadership, strategy, management, conversations, and change.

She has co-authored many articles, book chapters, and books with two most popular: Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement (www.cwh.today) and Learning to SOAR: Creating Strategy that Inspires Innovation and Engagement (www.soar-strategy.com) Her work has been featured in Forbes, SmartBrief, Detroit’s Live in the D, People & Strategy, and leadership and training blogs and podcasts. She earned a Doctor of Management in Capacity Building Using an Appreciative Approach: A Relational Process of Building Your Organization’s Future at Case Western Reserve University. She holds an MBA in International Marketing from Michigan State University and BA in Marketing from Wayne State University.

Jackie lives in Brighton, MI with her husband Paul and her lovable dogs, Rex and Bo! She enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, playing board games, or visiting the local farmers markets

Articles

Learning to SOAR: Creating Strategy that Inspires Innovation and Engagement (Book)

Learning to SOAR (formerly titled: Thin Book of SOAR)is about a generative approach to strategic thinking, planning, and leading that invites any person at any level in an organization to create strategy and strategic plans through shared conversations, collaboration, and a commitment to action. SOAR stands for: strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results. SOAR is a flexible framework and builds on the Appreciative Inquiry philosophy to provide a strategic dialogue process. Examples are provided on how to use SOAR at different organizational levels from individual coaching to teams, departments, divisions, and the whole organization

Testimonials

Beth Schofield, Head of Speaker Selection – Coaching.com

Jackie Stavros was a ‘Stand Out’ Speaker at the World Business Executive Coaching Summit (WBECS) and her session with 1,992 live participants “The Power of Our Questions Make All the Difference” scored an incredible 9.5/10 from audience ratings, making it one of the most popular in the whole event. Her practical approach and positive energy kept the audience engaged and eager to learn while her expertise equipped and empowered our global audience of coaches to bring their coaching conversations to the next level. It was an honor to have Jackie in our speaker lineup and we can’t wait to work with her again in the future!

Dr. Jennifer Hitchcock, Retired Member of the Senior Executive Service, U.S. Government

Jackie Stavros is one of my “go-to” keynote speakers and co-collaborator for a variety of government organizations and professional organization events. She has discussed and presented Conversations Worth Having and SOAR to leaders within the U.S. Army and Department of Defense and as a co-collaborator for the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement where she brought her expertise on Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to generate meaningful conversations on DEI in organizations. She brings into every presentation the power of using AI to fuel productive and meaningful engagement through your conversations in how you lead, communicate, and manage yourself and others. Her material is always interesting and engaging and can be put into practical use immediately to impact the wellbeing and performance of your people. Audiences appreciate her caring warmth, positive energy, and relatable examples.