Lori Nishiura Mackenzie

What does it actually take to build organizations where the best people stay, contribute fully, and rise? Lori Nishiura Mackenzie has spent her career answering that question — not with intuition, but with evidence.

As co-founder of the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab, Lori contributed to foundational research with sociologist Shelley Correll, whose work on evaluation bias is among the most cited in organizational sociology. Her organizational work is the subject of a Stanford GSB case study with researcher Adina Sterling.

Her most sought-after work centers on the language of leadership: why even well-intentioned advocates unconsciously choose words that dampen their support for the people they champion, and what to say instead. It's a finding that surprises every room she's in — and changes how leaders communicate from that day forward.

Lori's LinkedIn Learning courses have reached nearly 230,000 learners across nine courses in five languages, including Using Gender Inclusive Language, accessed by over 104,000 professionals worldwide. She has delivered keynotes and workshops at LinkedIn Talent Connect, National Association of Corporate Directors Annual Meeting, Chief in Tech Summit, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education, WT2, the Watermark Women's Conference, Stanford Directors College, Diligent Elevate, Corporate Directors Forum, Google, Microsoft, CalSTRS, Stockholm School of Economics Executive Education, Corporate Leadership Center, and organizations across tech, finance, healthcare, and the nonprofit sector.

She has been featured in the documentary *bias*, recognized by BBC as one of its 100 Women, and honored with the CEDAW Award for Education from the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. Her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and BBC, among others.

Prior to her current work, Lori served as lead strategist for diversity, equity and inclusion at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and executive director of the Stanford Clayman Institute for Gender Research. She brings 20 years of marketing strategy and business management experience from Procter & Gamble, Apple, eBay, and PayPal. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley.

She is a board member of the Center for Institutional Courage and an advisor to August and Optionality.

Short bio

Lori Nishiura Mackenzie is a research practitioner and co-founder of the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab, where she leads work at the intersection of leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. Her original frameworks — built on foundational research at Stanford and featured in the documentary *bias* — help leaders close the gap between good intentions and real impact. Her LinkedIn Learning courses have reached nearly 230,000 learners in five languages. Recognized by BBC's 100 Women and honored with the CEDAW Award for Education, Lori brings research-grounded tools to audiences who are ready for something they can actually use.