Women’s Leadership Program

Invigorate your leadership to drive your career forward.

Women continue to face unique challenges in the workplace that can complicate their ascent to higher leadership roles. But this doesn’t dampen their ambitions—they fearlessly seek ways to leap over the hurdles in their path.

Yale’s Women’s Leadership Program serves as a powerful springboard, igniting a journey of self-discovery and professional growth that drives women forward in their careers.

In this immersive, on-campus program, participants strengthen critical leadership competencies that fuel innovation, create more effective team dynamics, and sharpen decision making. Instead of learning to fit a mold, they forge authentic leadership styles that engage their natural strengths and individuality.

Invigorated by fresh ideas, innovative frameworks, and enhanced skills, participants emerge from the program ready to excel as leaders.

Two women giving each other high-fives in the classroom.

Preview image for the video "Yale SOM Executive Education: Women’s Leadership Program". — Participants share why they pursued Yale’s Women’s Leadership Program and what they took away from the experience.

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Program Dates:
June 23–26, 2025

For more information about registration and program fee assistance, please see Registration Information section below.

Contact: Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships

Looking for other programs that prepare women to advance in senior management? Explore our Programs to Promote Women page.

I was challenged, inspired, and provided the gift of invaluable connections. I highly recommend this program to anyone who may be craving change, anyone wanting to take their leadership abilities to the next level or wanting to better understand those they lead. The faculty, staff, and content are world-class. This is an investment that will provide you with a significant ROI both personally and professionally. I am forever changed.

About This Program

What to Expect

Increase your leadership impact: Leverage new ideas, tools, and frameworks to develop critical leadership skills centered on leading the self and leading teams.
Use strategic vision and sharper decision-making skills: Lead growth, manage crises, drive growth through innovation, and make better decisions.
Develop an authentic leadership style: Harness insights from self-reflection and external feedback to leverage your unique strengths and lead as your best self.
Enhance your emotional intelligence: Navigate high-stress situations effectively with a deep understanding of how emotions influence work performance.
Expand your network: Forge meaningful connections with peers who will provide guidance and support throughout your professional journey.

Who Should Attend

Designed for women in mid- to senior-level leadership positions and those who support them. Relevant to corporate, non-profit, and government leaders.

Agenda

Below is a sample of what you can expect to experience in the Women’s Leadership Program.
Content and schedule are subject to change.

Understanding Your Leadership Impact and Debriefing Your Assessment: Reflected Best Self
Emotional Intelligence I: Leading from Within
Listening as a Critical Communication Skill
Group Executive Coaching

Emotional Intelligence II: Connecting to Thrive
Influence and Persuasion
Experimentation: Fail Early and Often
Innovation: The Case of El Bulli

Speaking Up Without Freaking Out
Decision-Making for Leaders

Conscious Accountability

Faculty

Faculty and lecturers are subject to change.

Faculty Director

Emma Seppälä

Lecturer in Management

Areas of Expertise: Positive Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being, Social Connection

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Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is a best-selling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. A psychologist and research scientist by training, her expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her best-selling book, The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016), has been translated into dozens of languages. Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.

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Rodrigo Canales

Kelli Questrom Associate Professor of Management and Faculty Director, Social Impact Program at the Boston University Questrom School of Business; former Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management

Areas of Expertise: Economic Development, Emerging Markets, Entrepreneurship, Globalization, Organizational Behavior, Social Enterprise

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Rodrigo Canales does research at the intersection of organizational theory and institutional theory, with a special interest in the role of institutions for economic development. Rodrigo studies how individuals can purposefully change complex organizations or systems. Rodrigo's work explores how individuals’ backgrounds, professional identities, and organizational positions affect how they relate to existing structures and the strategies they pursue to change them. His work contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that allow institutions to operate and change. Rodrigo has done work in entrepreneurial finance and microfinance, as well as in the institutional implications of the Mexican war on drugs. His current research is divided into three streams. The first focuses on the structural determinants of the quality of startup employment. The second explores the conditions under which development policies and practices integrate rigorous evidence. The third, with generous support from the Merida Initiative, explores how to build effective, resilient, and trusted police organizations in Mexico.

Rodrigo is faculty director of Questrom’s Social Impact Program. Before, he was Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, where he taught the Innovator Perspective. He sits on the advisory board of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT; he spent the 2014-2015 academic year advising the Mexican government on the US-Mexico bilateral relationship; and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Nature Conservancy.

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Zoe Chance

Senior Lecturer in Management

Areas of Expertise: Influence and Persuasion, Marketing

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Zoe Chance is our resident expert on interpersonal influence. She's a member of the marketing faculty at Yale SOM, teaching the school's most popular elective, "Mastering Influence and Persuasion," as well as workshops for executives around the world. Her recent book, Influence Is Your Superpower, is an international bestseller being published in 28 languages. Zoe earned her MBA from USC and her doctorate from Harvard. Her framework for behavior change is the foundation for Google’s global food policy. Before joining academia, Zoe managed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand. Now, she uses her influence to help out with the climate crisis and donates half her book profits to that cause. She wants to help you make great things happen too.

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David Tate

Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Lecturer, Yale School of Management

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David C. Tate is a licensed clinical psychologist, professionally certified coach, and organizational consultant. He is Principal at Tate Consulting Group, a boutique consultancy that focuses on executive coaching and leadership advising, team design and development, family-owned and closely held enterprises, and promoting healthy organizational development. David has worked with leaders and senior managers in healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, distribution, publishing, media/design, education, technology, and construction.

David is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Yale University, where he received the 2013 Distinguished Faculty Award. He is a Lecturer at the Yale School of Management, where he teaches within both the graduate and executive education programs. He also coaches global leaders within the Yale Greenberg World Fellows Program. He is an author of Sink or Swim: How Lessons from the Titanic Can Save Your Family Business and the forthcoming book, Conscious Accountability: Deepen Connections, Elevate Results.

David received his BS at Cornell University and his PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia. He completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at Yale University before joining the faculty. He earned a Certificate in Family Business Advising from the Family Firm Institute, where he is a Fellow. He is a graduate of the Executive Coaching Academy and has completed additional coaching certification through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. He earned the designation of Professionally Certified Coach from the International Coach Federation.

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Registration Information

Program Details

Registration closes: April 24, 2025
Program dates: June 23-26, 2025

Location: On campus
Program fee: $7,800—Includes lodging and most meals.
Contact: Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships

How do I explain the benefits of the certificate program to my supervisor?
Download the Sample Justification Letter.

Program Fee Assistance

Yale SOM Executive Education offers a 15% reduction in program fee for:

those who work in the nonprofit sector. (Apply NONPROFIT code at time of registration.)
those who work in government. (Apply GOV code at time of registration.)
Yale University alumni. (Apply YALEGRAD code at time of registration.)
groups of 3-6 participants. Groups can be from an organization or be self-formed.
those who have previously participated in a Yale Executive Education program with Yale SOM or 2U/GetSmarter.

Discounts cannot be combined.

Yale School of Management is proud to offer funding support for veterans interested in this program. For more information about financial aid options and eligibility, please visit the Executive Education Veterans Benefits page.

Refund & Cancellation

Refunds are allowed for live online and in-person programs if requested in writing to the Yale Executive Education Registrar. The Yale Executive Education Cancellation Terms are as follows:

Request for change in registration/cancellation	Refund provided
30 days, or more, prior to Program start date	100% Program Fee Refund Provided
15-29 days prior to Program start date	50% Program Fee Refund Provided
14 days, or less, prior to Program start date	No Refund Provided

Yale reserves the right to cancel or reschedule programs if enrollment is deemed insufficient or health and safety would otherwise be jeopardized. Yale School of Management is not responsible for any travel or incidental costs incurred by a registrant if a program becomes cancelled. If a program is canceled by Yale, a full refund of fees paid will be processed within 30 days.

While it is our goal to deliver our programs as scheduled, we may postpone programs, deliver them online, or cancel them. If one of our programs has a scheduling change, we will notify those affected as soon as possible. 

FAQs

Here are some of our commonly asked questions to help you prepare for the program. For more helpful information, please visit our Participant Information page.

How do I explain the benefits of the certificate program to my supervisor?
Download the Sample Justification Letter.

Where is the program taking place?
The program will be held on campus at Edward P. Evans Hall, Yale School of Management, 165 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT.

Where can I make a hotel reservation?
Accommodations at a local hotel are included in your program fee.
For the April program: Check-in will be on Sunday, March 23 and check-out will be on Thursday, March 27.
For the June program: Check-in will be on Sunday, June 22 and check-out will be on Thursday, June 26.
More information about your hotel accommodations will be shared after your program registration is complete.

Am I allowed to record sessions or presentations during the program?
Recording during sessions is not permitted.

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Additional Information

Preview image for the video "Yale's Women's Leadership Program | Open House Webinar". — Three past participants share their experiences in the Women's Leadership Program.

More Webinar Recordings

Open House for Yale's Women's Leadership Program, featuring past participants Nicole Turner and Latoya West-Blackwood.
Watch video

Open House for Yale's Women's Leadership Program, featuring past participants Kell Bliss and Jing Lang.
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Open House for Yale's Women's Leadership Program, featuring past participants Wanjeri Gakuru and Ruchi Sharma.
Watch video

Testimonials

“The program is carefully curated to ensure that learners are exposed to a broad range of exceptional and thought-provoking content. That content is brought to life by the extraordinary faculty—so warm, engaging, insightful, and nuanced. The faculty pull threads from the content and weave them into the workshops—enabling students to interact with those concepts in a way that encourages growth and new perspectives. My time in this program was time very well invested.” – Katie McGohan, Associate Director: CMC Program Management, Regeneron

“Excellent program which facilitates self-discovery while providing practical tools for team growth and leadership. Regardless of position, company, or cultural background, this program enables all and encourages diverse leadership thinking.” – Kate Merrill Balart, Renewable Natural Gas Supply Development Manager, Shell

“Yale's Women's Leadership Program is the ideal program to reflect on the role of women in society and in organizations, emphasizing social skills and organizational behavior to achieve outstanding results while attending to their own well-being and team's development. Without a doubt an invaluable experience.” – Diana Jimenez, Solutions Design Senior Manager, DHL

“The Women's Leadership Program is one of the most inspiring programs I have ever attended. The instructors at the Yale School of Management are brilliant and engaging. Hands down one of the best executive education programs out there!” – Michelle Oldham, Managing Director, Professional Services, Aquent

“I will recommend Yale's Women's Leadership Program to all women who are interested in making a change in both their professional and personal lives. The instructors were engaging and provided tools to take back home and use. The energy from women from 11 different countries and backgrounds was an awesome experience that was both motivating, encouraging, and left you feeling that you can make a change!” – Carla L. Carroll, Associate Director, Program Management Office, Mount Sinai Health System

“The program has instilled the confidence of leadership in myself. I am excited to start applying the new ideas, skills, and fresh perspectives I have taken away from this program.” – Jennifer Cutrali, Vice President, Credit Administration Manager, Fairfield County Bank

“The Women’s Leadership Program at the Yale School of Management is a priceless experience. The sincere work by the faculty and planning team to create a physical and digital environment of inclusivity, the phenomenal and diverse participants, the coaching, and the degree of personalization, made this a truly transformative experience.” – Anonymous

“I believe the Women’s Leadership Program strives to create an environment where women can experiment with knowledge. The program is designed so that every woman’s voice can be heard. I felt that I was valued as a person rather than a title.” – Latosha Thomas, Public Affairs Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

“The Women's Leadership Program provided a unique opportunity and a safe space to get honest perspectives on leadership and personal challenges while identifying opportunities and tapping into the power of positivity. Recognizing that we have so much in common despite our diverse backgrounds was a powerful way to build community and commit to elevating our work to grow our impact and confidence in our ability to create change.” – Anonymous