Institute Staff: 

David V. Day, Ph.D.

Academic Director, Steven L. Eggert ‘82 P’15 Professor of Leadership,                 George R. Roberts Fellow

David Day, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Claremont McKenna College and Academic Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute, Steven L. Eggert ‘82 P’15 Professor of Leadership and George R. Roberts Fellow. Previously he was Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Woodside Chair in Leadership and Management at The University of Western Australia Business School.

David Day is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, International Association of Applied Psychology, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has core research interests in the areas of leadership, identity, and leadership development. In 2010 he was awarded the Walter F. Ulmer Research Award from the Center for Creative Leadership (USA) for outstanding, career-long contributions to applied leadership research.

Jay Conger, D.B.A.

Director of Advisory Board and Kravis Fellows Programming,                                  Henry R. Kravis Chaired Professor of Leadership Studies

Jay Conger is the Henry R. Kravis Chaired Professor of Leadership Studies at the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College in California. He is one of the world’s experts on leadership. You will see him quoted in the Wall Street Journal and other business periodicals analyzing people and trends in the executive suite and in the boardroom. In recognition of his extensive work with companies, Business Week named him the best business school professor to teach leadership and one of the top five management education teachers worldwide. He has published over one hundred articles and 14 books on the topics of leadership development, corporate boards, influence and communications strategies for leaders, executive leadership, and organizational change.

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D.

Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology,            LSS Faculty Advisor

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology at Claremont McKenna College. Dr. Riggio’s research interests center on charismatic and transformational leadership, nonverbal and verbal communication skills, and the development of leadership potential across the lifespan. He has published nearly two-dozen authored or edited books and more than 150 articles and book chapters. He has also served as a consultant to dozens of organizations, large and small, across the business, education, and non-profit sectors. He is the co-editor, along with Georgia Sorenson, of the Routledge/Taylor & Francis book series: Leadership: Research and Practice

Sherylle J. Tan, Ph.D.

Director of Internships and KLI Research 

Sherylle J. Tan, Ph.D. is the Director of Internships and KLI Research at the Kravis Leadership Institute. In addition, Dr. Tan is currently the 2016 Chair of the Executive Leadership Team for the International Leadership Association Women and Leadership Affinity Group. At KLI, Dr. Tan oversees the KLI Internship program, longitudinal research on undergraduate leadership education, and program evaluations of all KLI leadership and changemaking programs. Much of Dr. Tan’s research focuses on applying developmental theory and methods to understanding the issues of leadership development, women and leadership, work and family, and child development. Most recently, Dr. Tan co-edited with Ron Riggio, Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills: The Soft Skills of Leadership (2014).

Marilyn Pierce

Administrative Coordinator

Marilyn Pierce is the Administrative Coordinator at the Kravis Leadership Institute. She brings five years of higher education administration experience to KLI, and is excited to be on the team! She oversees the day-to-day administrative support and office management processes of the Institute and works to support the strategic plan of the Institute. Marilyn works with the Institute’s directors to develop and design publicity for institute related activities, programs and events and is the project manager for Institute events, conferences, leadership roundtable, and the Kravis-de Roulet Conference. Marilyn is also the Institute’s liaison between the President’s office, Athenaeum, Director of Events and Stewardship, and the 7C’s. She leads a team of students who assist in preparing for events involving students, KLI Advisory Board, Kravis Fellows and the community. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Baylor University where she was part of the Academy for Leader Development. She has a Certificate in Research Administration from the University of Southern California, and is currently pursuing a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Concordia University.

Zhengguang (Marko) Liu

Visting Scholar

Zhengguang Liu (Marko) is a visiting scholar in Kravis Leadership Institute(KLI) at Claremont McKenna College. Marko is currently a full-time researcher in the KLI, and his research interests include leadership selection, life-span leadership development, and nurturing leadership in family.  The research projects he currently participates in include the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS), Undergraduate Leadership Education (ULE) study etc. He is also a PhD candidate in developmental Psychology at Beijing Normal University, China. Funded by the Chinese government Scholarship, he will study in the US for nearly two years. Prior to his PhD study, he had five years’ working experience in Human Resource Management in Business.  

John Dulay

Research Manager

John Dulay, M.A., is the current Research Manager of the Undergraduate Leadership Education (ULE) longitudinal study (originally launched by Ron Riggio, Sherylle Tan, and Rebecca Reichard). The ULE is an empirical study of the impact of leadership education and programming on students, from senior year in high school through several years after college. John’s past and current experiences include leader development, teaching, mentoring, and empirical research. Prior to joining the ULE team, he was a research fellow at the Army Research Institute-Leader Development Research Unit at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has facilitated leader development workshops at Claremont McKenna College, University of Southern California, California State University-Dominguez Hills, as well as for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. He has taught courses on statistics, research methodology, program evaluation, and positive psychology at California State University-Long Beach and -Dominguez Hills. At CSUDH, he was voted Professor of the Year (2017) by students, professors, and staff of the psychology department. John plans on completing his psychology Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University where he has already completed his master of arts in psychology. His research interests are broadly based on the overlap between positive psychology and leadership, including leader social skills, leader self-efficacy, motivation to lead, sense of belonging, courage, inspiration, and leader flow experience.

Florian Zacher

Research Intern and Scholar

Florian Zacher is a research intern and scholar at the Kravis Leadership Institute(KLI) at Claremont McKenna College. He is involved in different projects at KLI. He is working with KLI students on various projects. Specifically, a cross cultural study looking at the influence of the American culture on leadership development. Furthermore, Florian is interested in the topic of women and leadership. As a member of the KLI Institute Team, he helps to market and promote the institute and their events. He continues to work on his own research focusing on the influence of habits on leader development. Florian studies Psychology, Neuroscience & Business at Berlin University, Germany and founded his own research & consulting company for leadership, neuroeconomics & change management last year. He has a medical background from the Charité Medical School Berlin and worked for a global company and different medical institutions during his studies.

Angelica Ferreira ’14

Special Events and Project Manager

Angelica Ferreira ’14 is the Special Events and Project Manager at the Kravis Leadership Institute. She brings a dynamic perspective to the team with her four year background working as an Institute Assistant at KLI when she was as a student. From the planning stages, solidifying event logistics, marketing, and staffing events, Angelica ensures that events are supported and executed successfully from beginning to end. She currently leads a team of students who assist in preparing for events involving students, KLI Advisory Board, Kravis Fellows and the community through, publicity, social media, and web content. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Leadership Studies from Claremont McKenna College and Certificate in Meeting and Event Planning from San Diego State University. She is currently pursuing her MBA.

Tiffany Nolasco

Institute Coordinator

Tiffany Nolasco is the Institute Coordinator at Kravis Leadership Institute. She collaborates with KLI Team to ensure the success of the Institute’s events. She manages events such as Leadership Roundtables, professional luncheons and meetings, and the annual Kravis- de Roulet Conference. She also provides support in the facilitation of The Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS). Tiffany is an essential part of the team as she assists in KLI activities and provides staff support as needed. She is motivated to keep KLI a great resource for CMC students.

Joanne Rumpler

Administrative Assistant

Joanne is currently the part-time Administrative Assistant at the Kravis Leadership Institute, Claremont McKenna College.  Since March 2012, Joanne has managed the reception area, welcoming faculty, staff, guests and students to the Institute.  She provides general information regarding the Institute, and directs specific inquires to other staff members.  She assists staff with clerical tasks.  Joanne enjoys interacting with the students, answering any questions they may have, and learning about their experiences both here at CMC and during their work and study abroad programs.

Affiliated Faculty: 

Pamela Brooks Gann

Trustee, Professor of Legal Studies and George R. Roberts Senior Fellow, Kravis Leadership Institute, President Emerita, Claremont McKenna College

Pamela Brooks Gann has served as the President of Claremont McKenna College (1999-2013) and the Dean of the Duke University School of Law (1988-1999). She has taught at Duke University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia; in summer programs at Washington University, Saint Louis, and the University of Colorado; and in international programs at the Salzburg Seminar and in China, Paris, and Vietnam. Her publications largely pertain to taxation and public finance and international trade and investments. Her current interests include: leadership studies, law and economics of higher education, law and public policy of the non-profit sector, and international economic relations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Council on Foreign Relations and International Education of Students (IES Abroad).

Sara Thompson

Clinical Faculty in Psychology

With 17 years of facilitation experience for college and high school programs, Sara Thompson, Ph.D. serves as an instructor for two leadership courses on campus and in the Silicon Valley Program.

In LEAD 10, Dr. Thompson provides students with a solid foundation on how leadership is defined, viewed, and studied by reviewing conceptualizations and theories of leaders and leadership. She also co-teaches Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley with Professors Riggio and Conger.

Most recently, Dr. Thompson co-edited with Rebecca Reichard, “Leader Developmental Readiness: Pursuit of Leadership Excellence” (2016). 

Nick Warner

Professor of Literature

Nicholas Warner was educated at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his Ph.D. in English. After teaching at Oberlin College, he came to Claremont McKenna, where he is currently Professor of Literature. His publications include Spirits of America: Intoxication in 19th Century American Literature (a Choice Outstanding Academic Book) and articles on leadership in literature and film, which is also the topic of several of his courses at CMC. He has received the Glen R. Huntoon Award for Superior Teaching five times, and the G. David Huntoon Senior Teaching Award twice.