Shaun Harper
Provost Professor of Management and Organization; Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership; USC Race and Equity Center Executive Director
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $14,000–$30,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: California
RELATED TOPICS: Black Speakers, Civil Rights & Social Justice, Education & Literacy, LGBTQ +, Workplace Diversity, Youth Advocacy
•USC University Professor of Business and Education
•Provost Professor of Management and Organization
•Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership
•USC Race and Equity Center Founder and Executive Director
•Forbes Contributor
•Provost Professor of Management and Organization
•Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership
•USC Race and Equity Center Founder and Executive Director
•Forbes Contributor
Shaun Harper, Ph.D. holds the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership at the University of Southern California. In 2022, he was appointed University Professor, a distinction bestowed only to 26 of 4,700 full-time USC faculty members. He also is founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center as well as one of 14 Provost Professors, an elite cadre of interdisciplinary scholars who hold joint appointments in two or more academic schools at the University.
Dr. Harper is an expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. Dr. Harper has published 12 books, and is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and other academic publications. He is recipient of dozens of top honors in his field and four honorary degrees. Prior to joining the USC faculty in 2017, he spent a decade at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a tenured full professor.
A prolific and energizing speaker on a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics, Shaun has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses around the world, many to audiences comprised of thousands. In his DEI strategy work with companies and institutions, Dr. Harper prioritizes people, systems, structures, policy, accountability, and sustainability. Evidence-based approaches to organizational change distinguish him from most other DEI consultants. His smart, yet plainspoken and practically-useful style differentiates him from most academicians. He has testified twice to the U.S. House of Representatives, spoken at numerous White House and federal agency convenings, and been appointed by two U.S. presidents and a California governor to leadership roles. Dr. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council; on the national education policy committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign; and on California Governor Gavin Newsome’s statewide task force on education, racial equity, and COVID-19 recovery. He frequently writes for Forbes and The Washington Post.
Dr. Harper is an expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. Dr. Harper has published 12 books, and is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and other academic publications. He is recipient of dozens of top honors in his field and four honorary degrees. Prior to joining the USC faculty in 2017, he spent a decade at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a tenured full professor.
A prolific and energizing speaker on a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics, Shaun has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses around the world, many to audiences comprised of thousands. In his DEI strategy work with companies and institutions, Dr. Harper prioritizes people, systems, structures, policy, accountability, and sustainability. Evidence-based approaches to organizational change distinguish him from most other DEI consultants. His smart, yet plainspoken and practically-useful style differentiates him from most academicians. He has testified twice to the U.S. House of Representatives, spoken at numerous White House and federal agency convenings, and been appointed by two U.S. presidents and a California governor to leadership roles. Dr. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council; on the national education policy committee for the Biden-Harris Campaign; and on California Governor Gavin Newsome’s statewide task force on education, racial equity, and COVID-19 recovery. He frequently writes for Forbes and The Washington Post.
- Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race
Most employees deliberately avoid engaging in conversations with their colleagues about racial issues in society and in the workplace. University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Professor Shaun Harper, founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center, will help attendees more deeply understand what many Americans and others across the globe were protesting throughout the month of June 2020. He will also explain the consequences of avoidance and the benefits of making race salient in workplace conversations, policies, and practices. Dr. Harper will conclude with several practical strategies and creative activities that can be used to make conversations about race less uncomfortable, more productive, and ultimately useful to the company and its employees. He will share tips for minimizing the risk of race-focused conversations becoming explosive and harmful. Customized Topics on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Addressing Homophobia and Heterosexism
• Advancing Women to Senior Leadership Roles
• Communicating Commitment to EDI
• Educational Equity
• Eliminating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
• Evolving with Client/Customer Demographics
• Facilitating Difficult Conversations about EDI
• Hiring and Strategically Diversifying the Workplace
• Making Workplace Environments Trans Inclusive
• Managing Intergenerational Tensions
• Meeting the Needs of Employees with Disabilities
• Navigating Partisanship Diversity and Political Polarization
• Recognizing and Reducing Implicit Bias
• Recovering from Diversity-Related Crises
• Resolving Racial Tensions at Work
• Retaining and Advancing Employees of Color
• Supporting Employee Networks/Resource Groups
“Our event was a great success and Shaun did an awesome job. He delivered beyond our expectations and provided our directors with some much needed guidance for the next phase of the their work. My team and I am pleased beyond words, thank you!”
-Program Director, The University System of Georgia
“As expected, Dr. Harper was fantastic! He was insightful and funny. We’ve had nothing but rave reviews from attendees.”
-Division of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact, University of Cincinnati
-Program Director, The University System of Georgia
“As expected, Dr. Harper was fantastic! He was insightful and funny. We’ve had nothing but rave reviews from attendees.”
-Division of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact, University of Cincinnati
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