LaTonya Wilkins
Adjunct Lecturer in Leadership Development and Communications
Founder of Change Coaches and author of Leading Below the Surface: How to Build Real (and Psychologically Safe) Relationships with People Who Are Different from You, LaTonya Wilkins specializes in coaching executives on leading “below the surface” to build psychologically safe relationships with their teams across differences. She is a sought-after coach and keynote speaker who has inspired audiences all over the world. Founder of Change Coaches and best-selling Author of Leading Below the Surface, LaTonya Wilkins coaches CEOs, senior executives, and teams around the world. Global leaders typically call LaTonya when they are facing the following challenges: creating psychologically safe teams, improving connections across differences, effectively coaching their team to create accountability and trust, and building sustainable cultures of belonging.
LaTonya has coached leaders at many well-known companies including Google, Target, The New York Times, and several nonprofits. She built her career working in HR, talent management, and learning & development at Fortune 500 companies before teaching and taking on progressive leadership roles at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. LaTonya has been recognized as an “excellent” teacher by her undergraduate and graduate business students. She is on the board (having previously served as the President) of the True Star Youth Foundation, which is a digital marketing social entrepreneurship company that recently received a Google Impact Award. LaTonya was also a member of the Advisory Board at Women of Color in the Workplace. LaTonya's book Leading Below the Surface was named a top-10 book for executive leaders and a top psychological safety book of 2023.
LaTonya has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Well+Good, and Inc Magazine. She was also named a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2024.
- CoachingLeadership DevelopmentPsychological SafetyAuthenticityDEIB
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Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of Iowa
MBA, Strategic Management Consulting, Indiana University
Consulting Foundations Certificate, Yale School of Management
Personal Leadership Insights (LDEV-461-5)
This course is a unique opportunity for students who are highly motivated and committed to their personal development and growth as a leader and who value the chance to do this work in a group setting. The Kellogg faculty leader serves as coach and facilitator to guide students through a process that explores who they are (strengths, needs, values), reveals how others experience them (feedback), examines who they want to be (vision/purpose) and identifies actions for moving forward (development planning). Individual reflective exercises will be further explored and shared in small group meetings, full class discussion, and individual coaching appointments with the faculty. Students complete a paper integrating their personal insights. There is no final exam.
Because the course focuses on self-awareness and relationships with others, students rely on interactions with each other to experience vulnerability and growth within an environment of safety and trust. Therefore, students will not receive a letter grade, but rather a "Pass" with 0.5 credits or a "No-Credit" on their transcript. The "Pass" designation will be given if the following requirements are met: 100% attendance (non-negotiable), completion of all assignments, honoring confidentiality, and active participation in class activities and discussions.
Please note that the 100% attendance policy is non-negotiable across all sections and instructors. Only bid on a section for which you are sure you can attend every class session. Review the abbreviated syllabus for that section to confirm the precise meeting dates.
