Ellen Van Oosten

Ellen Van Oosten is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Director of Executive Education at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. She also serves as Director of the Coaching Research Lab, which she co-founded with Richard Boyatzis and Melvin Smith in 2014. Van Oosten joined the Weatherhead School of Management in 1995 after working in engineering for many years, bringing a unique perspective to her academic work.

Her educational background includes a PhD and MBA from Case Western Reserve University (2013 and 1994 respectively) and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton (1987).

Van Oosten's research centers on how individuals and organizations learn, change, and develop in enduring ways. Her work spans executive coaching, coaching relationships, emotional and social intelligence, leadership assessment and development, and the intersection between individual and organizational development. She has published extensively in top journals including Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Management Development, and Organizational Dynamics.

Her research shows a consistent focus on coaching effectiveness, intentional change theory, and the role of emotional intelligence in leadership development. Recent work has examined virtual coaching relationships, the neuroscience of coaching, and gender-specific leadership development, particularly for women in STEM fields.

• Coaching Book of the Year for 2020 (Henley Management School)
• Training Industry Readership Award (2020)
• Axiom Business Book Award - Gold Award Winner (2020)
• Best Symposium in Management Education & Development (2019, 2016)
• Weatherhead Intramural Research Grant (2016)
• Best Research Poster (2013, Institute of Coaching, Harvard Medical School)
• Best Symposium Award (2013, Academy of Management)

As an educator, Van Oosten teaches across multiple programs including MBA, executive MBA, master's of engineering management, law, and undergraduate programs at Case Western Reserve. She regularly delivers workshops for executive education clients and has developed specialized coaching certification programs through the Weatherhead Executive Education. Her teaching focuses on leadership assessment and development, coaching, emotional intelligence, and professional development in STEM fields.

Van Oosten is actively involved in numerous professional organizations including the Academy of Management (since 2009), the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School (founding member since 2012), and the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence (since 2011). She serves as CWRU Representative to the Graduate Student Alliance for Education in Coaching and as Academic Advisor to the Human Resource Leadership Group.