Dr. Yasmin Davidds is the founder and CEO of the Latina Global Executive Leadership Institute at USC and the Women’s Institute of Negotiation, organizations dedicated to the teaching, instruction and development of negotiating skills and leadership competencies primarily focused on women in professional, academic and corporate settings. Dr. Davidds’ commitment to the empowerment and development of all women leaders has brought her recognition and acclaim from the U.S. Congress, the California State Senate, the California State Assembly and most recently was granted the Ray of HOPE award by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality. Dr. Davidds has been recognized and highlighted as one of the top Leading Latinas by Hispanic Magazine and as one of the most influential Latinas in author Sylvia Mendoza’s “The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength, and Success.”
In 2017, the Women’s Institute of Negotiation partnered with The University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management to launch the Women Negotiating Leadership Success Executive Education Certificate Program. As a leadership expert, Dr. Davidds works in-depth with organizations by coaching leaders who are tasked with leading stressful and rapid change. Training executives to more effectively integrate interpersonal skills into their leadership repertoire, she assists organizations from the top down as well as the bottom up. She has trained fortune 500 executives and facilitated their merging of different corporate cultures. Her training, facilitation and instructional design skills has assisted management in many large corporations, government agencies and professional associations.
As one of the top leading female negotiation experts in the U.S. and Latin America, Dr. Davidds has also trained and consulted thousands of corporate leaders in over 200 blue chip companies throughout 22 countries in the art and skill of negotiation. Her clients have ranged from senior judges to tribal leaders, from unionized prison guards to accountants, and from public officials to diplomatic trainees. Her practical experience includes a wide range of public and private sector efforts in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, England, France, Spain, South Africa and the U.S. She has helped lead intervention and assistance programs to disputing parties and has advised corporate, non-profit and governmental teams on how to prepare for important negotiations.
A graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) with a degree in Business Entrepreneurship, Dr. Davidds went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Women Studies and her doctorate degree in Organizational Psychology. In 2013, she developed and launched the first Latina Global Executive Leadership Program in partnership with the USC Marshall School of Business. As a natural progression in fulfilling her life purpose to empower women of all cultures and by demand from the private as well as corporate sector, Dr. Yasmin has developed the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Program. The Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Program, a program for all women, will join female leaders of all cultures to embark on journeys of personal and professional development together. The Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Program will launch its first cohort at USC campus in March of 2018.
In Our Own Words
I am pleased to serve as the Executive Sponsor for the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Program. The 2016 “Women in the Workplace” study by McKinsey & Company confirmed that women lag behind their male counterparts in almost every segment of business and career development: earned income, promotions and raises. “Women also receive informal feedback less frequently than men—despite asking for it as often—and have less access to senior-level sponsors”. The study further confirmed that “The challenge is even more pronounced for women of color”.
This program is designed to support the leveling of the playing field through a curriculum of professional development, interpersonal skill building, executive presence and refining the art of negotiation (a critical business practice). It is uniquely positioned to address the challenges that women in general and multicultural women in particular face.
As a pro-bono faculty member, I have seen first-hand the product of this program as a measure of enhance productivity, career advancement and narrowing the gap of economic parity. Supporting this program provides benefits to corporations through accelerated development of executive women, the formation of leadership characteristic, enhanced self-awareness, confidence, collaboration and team building acumen.
Built into the program are impact assessments designed to measure growth. There is comparative analysis using pre-program baselines, and post session behavioral assessments and reporting to quantify program effectiveness. The collegial bonds formed by the cohort support the programs lasting impact and the continued professional development of these scholars.
I am honored to serve as the Executive Sponsor for the Multicultural Women Executive Leadership Program and invite other executives in the multicultural diaspora to join me in demonstrating leadership and advancement of multicultural women in our community.
Sincerely,
Julius E. Robinson
Managing Director & Group Head
Corporate Social Responsibilities for the America
MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
