Lawrence James Jr., Ph.D.

Lawrence is a thought leader in the areas of diversity, inclusion, belonging, executive development, and executive assessment. Showing a powerful mix of inquisitiveness, insight, and drive, he is an innovator known for his willingness to challenge existing paradigms and create new ones. He has developed a holistic, integrated, and systemic model for growing diverse talent, which has been detailed in his seminal white paper Journey to the Top: Developing African-American Executives, as well as numerous blogs. With his forward-thinking and innovative whole-organization approach to talent development, he has been an invited keynote speaker at a variety of conferences, symposia, and corporate roundtables. In 2023, he co-edited a special issue in the Consulting Psychology Journal entitled The State of Black Leadership: What Can Be Done to Create Sustainable Change.

After 12 years as a partner at RHR International, a premier boutique leadership development consultancy, Lawrence started his own consultancy focusing on talent assessment, executive coaching, strategic advisory services, and organizational transformation. During his tenure at RHR, he co-created the firm’s diversity, inclusion, and belonging practice area and co-led the service. He has been a highly sought-after coach due to his ability to assess and develop senior executives and high-potential talent. He has worked across numerous sectors, including healthcare, energy/utilities, financial services, retail, and manufacturing.

Lawrence received his BA in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of

Education in counseling psychology at Howard University and a PhD in clinical psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Illinois and is a member of several professional organizations.