Research Team

The research team comprises staff from the Center for Creative Leadership and Baruch College at the City University of New York. The team is composed of permanent members (see below) and a range of interning students who are participating in the various phases of the study.

Center for Creative Leadership:
Dr Regina Eckert (project manager)
Dr Marian Ruderman
Dr Bill Gentry
Rachael Foy

Baruch College, CUNY New York:
Prof Karen Lyness

Regina (Gina) Eckert is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) Europe, located in Brussels, Belgium. Her research interests comprise leadership across cultural differences, leadership training and career development, organizational leadership and corporate social responsibility, and multicultural learning and education. Gina has consulting experience in organizational leadership and culture change for Philips, BMW and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. She also worked on the design and implementation of quality management processes in health care in the UK and Germany. Gina holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Munich, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Management from Aston Business School, UK.

Marian N. Ruderman is Director for Research in the Americas and EMEA regions at the Center for Creative Leadership. Her research focuses on the career development of women and the impact of diversity on leadership processes. Marian is co-author of the widely acclaimed book Standing at the Crossroads: Next Steps for High-Achieving Women. The findings from this research are applied in the Women's Leadership Program offered by CCL. Marian is a frequent speaker on the topic of developing women leaders, having conducted workshops with leaders in the US and abroad. The popular media has reported on Marian's work in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Working Women and on national TV. In addition, Marian has published widely in scientific journals in psychology and management. She has also co-authored the Center's feedback instrument, the Job Challenge Profile and has written about the importance of on-the-job development. Marian is co-editor (with Susan Jackson) of Diversity in Work Teams: Research Paradigms for a Changing Workplace. She has broad interests in the field of leadership development. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan.

William A. (Bill) Gentry is currently a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Creative Leadership. His research interests are in survey development and analysis, cross-cultural leadership, organizational politics, and managerial derailment. Bill graduated summa cum laude from Emory University and received his M.S. and his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Georgia. Before coming to CCL, Bill was an organizational effectiveness specialist at United Parcel Service. He has published in such journals as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organization Development Journal, Journal of Management Development, and European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.

Rachael Foy is an Administrative Coordinator in Research and Innovation at the Center for Creative Leadership. She has a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina-Asheville and completed some graduate work in the psychology department at the University of Tennessee. Rachael helps with the logistics of the team including scheduling, taking meeting notes, maintaining research datasets, and helping to prepare papers and presentations. Rachael has a lot of enthusiasm for this research project and is very interested in learning more about how cultural perceptions of gender roles influence the leadership development of women around the world.

Karen Lyness is a professor in the psychology department at Baruch College in New York City, USA. She teaches courses on diversity in organizations, career development, and other topics in industrial-organizational psychology. Currently Karen conducts research on women in management and leadership roles, work-family interface, cross-cultural issues, and workforce diversity. Her research has been published in highly regarded academic journals, such as Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Relations, International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Organizational Research Methods and has also received recognition in new outlets (e.g. Business Week). Before joining the Baruch faculty, Karen held a number of positions in management research and human resource management at Citigroup (Citibank), AT&T, and Avon Products.