Joan Bragar

Dr. Bragar has over twenty years of experience creating and delivering leadership development and executive coaching programs in the private and public sectors around the world. She works with leaders at all levels to develop clear and sustainable approaches for facing challenges and achieving results.

Her clients have included managers and executive teams from Mellon Financial, United Technologies, AXA Financial, LG Group; and doctors and nurses from the Ministries of Health in Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania and Afghanistan. 

She has taught leadership as part of the faculties of Boston University, Babson College, Hult School of Management, and the Arthur D. Little School of Management. Dr. Bragar has launched and built leadership practices at two consulting firms. These practices areas have included leadership principles, practice models and programs adapted to fit business needs.

Her research at Harvard University on the leadership practices of high performing managers has been used as the basis for leadership development programs around the world. This research identified the ability to “promote the development of other people’s talents” as the number one practice of managers who are perceived as good leaders.

She has applied leading-edge private sector leadership development and organizational learning processes to health ministries in the developing world.  Her book, Managers Who Lead, A Handbook for Improving Health Services, (Management Sciences for Health, 2005), and Video, “Seeds of Success”, document the health results--including reductions in maternal and infant mortality-- achieved through improved leadership at all levels of the health system.
She received an A.B. in the History of Science from Harvard College, and an Ed.M. and Ed. D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As valuable as this formal education was, she believes that she learned more about human behavior from her life experiences-- including five years as a shipyard welder, and 29 years of raising children.