Meet Shawn: Demystifying D&I
Dr. Shawn Andrews is the pioneer of the Rhythm of Diversity & Inclusion, a breakthrough approach to inspire and inform corporations on their leadership effectiveness, culture, and talent management. Based on her body of work, Dr. Andrews helps organizations drive inclusivity, eradicate biases, and tap their talent.
About Shawn
Dr. Andrews helps organizations that are frustrated with the lack of employee engagement, overwhelmed by the daunting task of creating a culture of inclusion, and concerned that they may lose business and their competitive advantage if they don’t embrace diversity effectively.
Acclaimed Thought-Leader
Dr. Andrews has worked with clients such as the United Nations, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, GSK, Broadcom, Vizio, Experian, Rust-Oleum, and the National Diversity Council to eliminate biases, leverage emotional intelligence, and address the leadership gender gap.
Proven Educator
Business school professor at two top-ranked universities, the University of California Irvine and Pepperdine University, in the fields of Organization & Management and Applied Behavioral Science with a doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
Bestselling Author
Dr. Andrews wrote The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide based on her dissertation research on these topics. In addition to the paperback and e-book, she spent 3 months in the studio to record the narration for the audiobook to add a personal touch for her listeners.
Research Geek
Dr. Andrews has always been a proponent of meta-integration, combining the findings and theories from different disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, and sociology to make learning and behavior change “stick” for her clients.
Accomplished Drummer
Dr. Andrews delivers inspiring keynotes and workshops to address both the intellectual and emotional aspects of the brain to engage her audience. Drumming since she was a toddler, she uses music as her theme to tie in key points and illuminate stories.
Mesmerizing Storyteller
Using both real world cases and personal stories, Dr. Andrews poignantly illustrates the impact of bias, exclusion, and gender through a variety of characters, settings and plot lines.
“Dr. Andrews was, by far, the most engaging and fun speaker I've ever had the privilege to see! Thank you for the book, for all the insights, laughs and knowledge you shared with us yesterday at the SCRC conference.”
Stan Kachakov, National Account Executive, National Corporate Housing
Shawn’s Full Bio
Dr. Shawn Andrews is a keynote speaker, organizational consultant, and author of the best-selling book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide (2018 Morgan James Publishing).
She’s been a Forbes contributor, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, and interviewed on dozens of podcast and radio shows, including NPR.
She has worked with over 100 companies across multiple industries, including the United Nations, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Hewlett-Packard, Experian, U.S. Forest Service, National Diversity Council, Association for Talent Development, and Society for Human Resource Management.
With over two decades of corporate experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, she has helped thousands of leaders improve and develop using presentations, workshops, coaching, and psychological instruments. She is an accredited practitioner for EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 model and Insights Discovery Colors.
She serves as professor at both UC Irvine and Pepperdine business schools, teaching courses on Women and Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Diversity in Organizations, and Leadership and Ethics. Her specific areas of focus include Leadership and Gender, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Bias, and Emotional Intelligence.
Shawn earned her Ed.D. degree in Organizational Leadership and an M.B.A. degree from Pepperdine University, and a B.A. degree in Psychology from University of California, Irvine.
She serves as Board President, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Orange County, and is founder and CEO of Andrews Research International.
My Mission
To serve as an expert educator to help organizations better manage their talent through diversity, to inspire and empower women to advance their careers, and help create work environments around the world that represent equity and inclusion.
My Philosophy
I believe that everyone should have access to equal opportunities. I want to see talented professionals succeed in their career, and I want to see organizations be more diverse and inclusive so that everyone’s talents are utilized and valued. Unfortunately, too many knowledgeable and capable individuals fall short of their career goals, and too many organizations leave untapped talent on the table. The world is becoming more diverse every day, and I believe that we can do better.
Building cultures that are more inclusive and gender balanced takes awareness, dialogue, and ongoing action—and there are many individual and organizational strategies that can move us forward.
In 2014, I launched my speaking and consulting business, and shortly after started writing and teaching for business schools. I’m passionate about helping others take control of their professional lives, helping businesses be more effective, and making an impact on the world. This is what drives me to research, speak, teach, and write on the broad topics of leadership, gender, emotional intelligence, bias, and DEI—and it’s why I wrote The Power of Perception.
I invite you to join me on the journey.
“I was intrigued & inspired by the presentation. Not only did Dr. Andrews do a fantastic job delving into the why of gender roles in the workplace; she did it in an inclusive manner. With these sensitive topics it can be easy to divide the room, and I never felt that way with this presentation. A good mix of historical, current state, facts, humor, & data. It has already prompted discussion between me and my colleagues. Thank you!”
Clarissa Volpe, Lead Attorney, Coloplast
