An expert on leadership development and stress, Modupe Akinola is a behavioral scientist dedicated to helping individuals and organizations thrive.   

Zalaznick Professor of Business and faculty director of the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School, she studies how stress within organizational environments influences performance. She also studies organizational diversity dynamics and hosts the TED Business podcast.      

Akinola’s work has been widely featured in academic journals and mainstream media. She has advised organizations ranging from Disney to Harvard Divinity School to the Cleveland Police.     

“I’ve devoted my career to shaping the strategic direction of varied public, private, and nonprofit organizations, helping the people within them act ethically, effectively, and for the greater good. I hope my mix of experiences in higher education, Bain & Company, and beyond can help Harvard chart the best course forward in times of extraordinary challenge.”    

A fellow of the Association for Psychological Science who was named a “Thinker to Watch” by Thinkers50, Akinola has received numerous honors for her scholarship, teaching, and faculty service at Columbia and in the academy.  

An engaged Harvard volunteer, she belongs to the Harvard Black Alumni Society, the HBS African American Alumni Association, and the HBS Women’s Association. While a student, she was vice president of Harvard Student Agencies, a Lowell House tutor, and co-chair of the HBS Africa Business Conference.    

Akinola serves as board president for the Brearley School in New York and on the board of the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.