James D. Ludema, Ph.D.
CVDL Co-founder and Director; Professor, Global Leadership and Core Faculty
Dr. James D. Ludema is the Co-founder and Director of the Center for Values-Driven Leadership and a Professor of Global Leadership at Benedictine University. He is Past Chair of the Academy of Management’s Organization Development and Change Division and is the author of two books and dozens of articles on leadership, strategy and organizational change. His book The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A Practitioner’s Guide for Leading Large-Scale Change is widely considered a classic in the field.
Dr. Ludema has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America and has served as a consultant to a variety of organizations including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, BP, McDonald’s, John Deere, USG, U.S. Cellular, the US Navy, World Vision, and many local and international NGOs. Dr. Ludema received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western University and a B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin College.
Research interests: Global leadership; values-driven leadership at the individual, organizational, and societal levels; appreciative inquiry and positive organizational scholarship; the link between culture and profit in small and mid-size businesses.
