Jackie Stavros, DM

Jacqueline (Jackie) Stavros’ 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 teaches one of the most popular courses, Principles of Management, where the students learn how to best manage themselves and others. She is one of the Faculty Athletic Representatives at LTU, where she enjoys working with student athletes to empower them to navigate and advocate for themselves. She inspires them with lifework not homework. She has co-authored many articles and books with two recent: 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 (soar-strategy.com). She has worked across all sectors and in over 25 countries using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to affect the lives of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations improve capacity to thrive and increase performance.

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 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. Her work has been featured in Forbes, SmartBrief, Detroit’s Live in the D, People & Strategy, and leadership and training blogs and podcasts. She is a keynote speaker on positive approaches to leadership, strategy, management, conversations, and change. 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 loveable dogs Rex and Bo! She enjoys spending time with her son, Adam and daughter, Ally being outdoors, playing board games, or visiting the local farmers markets.

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!  ~ Beth Schofield, Head of Speaker Selection - Coaching.com

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.

~ Dr. Jennifer Hitchcock, Retired Member of the Senior Executive Service, U.S. Government, [email protected]