Dani Chesson

Dani Chesson, PhD, is a Researcher at Antioch University's Graduate School of Leadership and Change. She integrates design capabilities, organizational development methodologies, and behavioral science to drive large-scale transformational change in global organizations, particularly in financial services. Dani has consulted for institutions like Bank of America, HSBC, and ASB Bank, leveraging her expertise in virtual team leadership and design thinking.

• Ph.D. in Leadership and Organizational Change, Antioch University (2017)
• MS in Organizational Development, Queens University of Charlotte (2016)
• MS in Business Administration, Queens University of Charlotte (2012)
• BA in Visual Communication (graphic design), State University of New York, Farmingdale (2005)

Dani's research focuses on identifying and validating design thinking capabilities through the creation of the Design Thinker Profile assessment. Her work explores how designers approach problem-solving and how these methods can be operationalized for organizational contexts.

Her publications emphasize trends in applying design thinking to modern organizational challenges (2018) and the development of psychometric tools to measure these capabilities (2017). These works bridge behavioral science, leadership development, and innovation frameworks.

As a consultant, Dani has led geographically dispersed virtual teams for Fortune 50 companies over 15 years. She also completed a Certificate in Executive Coaching, integrating coaching techniques into change readiness strategies for teams.