Learn more about how Culture of Civility International can support your leaders in building courage, increasing authenticity, and leaning into tough workplace conversations.
About Cheryl Cofield
Founder – CEO – Courage Whisperer™
- Leadership Trainer & Dialogue Facilitator
- Executive Coach & Story Coach
- Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator
- DEBI Programming
Cheryl Cofield is a corporate leadership trainer, storyteller, executive coach, race dialogue facilitator, and Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator (Brené Brown Education & Research Group). She mixes a deep reservoir of professional expertise with complex soft-skills to assist C-suite executives with developing self-awareness, increasing authenticity, deepening emotional literacy, building courage, navigating tough workplace conversations, and evoking powerful transformation.
Cheryl is a seasoned storyteller who masterfully holds space for courageous conversation.
With over 30 years of experience, Cheryl has managed complex human capital portfolios for Fortune 10 corporations, served as a civil rights, employment, and trial attorney for a myriad of local and national governmental entities, and served as dean of inclusive leadership, chief dialogue officer, and curator of storytelling integration in Higher Education administrations.
Most recently, Cheryl served as Associate Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Inclusion for CARE USA, an international humanitarian and global social justice organization dedicated to saving lives, defeating poverty, and empowering women and girls. She is a mindful cultural strategist who excels at building brave leaders, and humanizing workplaces.
Accolades & Media Attention
Cheryl has been named as a Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal, and her award-winning programs have been recognized in publications such as Psychology Today, The Academic Leader, and The Higher Education Workplace Magazine.
Cheryl is the founder and CEO of: Culture of Civility International, a leadership development and courage building firm; Story Masters International, an emerging storytelling agency focused on the crafting and preservation of social justice, identity, and healing stories; and Sisters Rising Bravely, a boutique personal empowerment firm dedicated to building courage and self-efficacy in women around the globe.
As a trainer, consultant and executive coach, she has served a host of prominent clients such as Harvard University, Federal Reserve Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Dropbox, March of Dimes, Cornell Medical Center, National Center for Civil & Human Rights, Barclays, Phillips Exeter Academy, Sunshine & Sachs, Columbia University, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., YWCA of Greater Atlanta, CARE USA, Iconic Womanhood, 100 Black Men of America, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Cheryl enjoys fencing, art collecting, performing magic, and producing live storytelling concerts. She believes in the liberating power of naps and is the proud mother of Zoe Ariana, a 3rd year student at Emory University School of Medicine.
Advisory Board and Faculty Support
Cheryl has served on advisory boards and/or faculty for The Conference Board, Linkages Institute for Leading Diversity & Inclusion, the National Storytelling Network’s Healing Stories Alliance, the College & University Professional Association, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate Academy’s Executive Leaders Program, the American Institute for Managing Diversity, the Stakeholder Impact Foundation, and the Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group.
Credentials
- BA, English Literature, Ohio University
- Doctor of Jurisprudence, University of Cincinnati College of Law
- Graduate Studies, Power & Influence, Harvard University
- International Coach Federation, Associate Certified Coach,
- Co-Active Training Institute, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach
- Institute for Social & Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence Coach
- Brené Brown Education & Research Group, Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator
- Fierce Conversations, Certified Fierce Conversations® Facilitator
- Franklin Covey, Certified Speed of Trust® Facilitator
- National Coalition Building Institute, Prejudice Reduction Facilitator
- YWCA Racial Justice Program, Race Dialogue Facilitator
- University of Michigan, Effective Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation
- The Moth, Director’s Circle and National Grand Slam Judge
- National Storytelling Network, Board of Directors
- Healing Story Alliance, Executive Committee
- Narativ Inc., Storytelling & Story Listening Certification
- (Story Training) Doug Stevenson, Storytelling Theater
- (Story Training) Doug Lipman, The Storytelling Coach
- (Story Training) Dr. Bertice Berry, Finding Your Authentic Voice
- (Story Training) John Roedel, The Unafraid Storyteller
Media Coverage
- Psychology Today – “Beyond the Water Cooler: New Way for Introverts to Connect” – Cofield interviewed by bestselling author Nancy Ancowitz regarding Georgia Tech’s innovative, first of its kind in the nation, Employee Resource Group for Introverts.
- The Wall Street Journal/MSN News/The Australian/Barron’s – “Email Enigma: When the Boss’s Reply is Cryptic” – National article discussing how Cofield successfully navigates the complexities of email communication with her supervisor.
- Higher Education Workplace Magazine – “A Roadmap for ERGs with HR at the Wheel” – Story recognizing the thought leadership, and methodologies utilized by Cofield in creating innovative Employee Resource Groups at Georgia Tech.
- Higher Education Workplace Blog – “Celebrating Quiet Brilliance” – Cofield recognized as pioneering thought leader for reminding the world of the broad spectrum of individual traits (beyond race and gender) that deserve to be recognized and celebrated in the workplace.
- The Introvert Energizer – “Remembering Introverts” – Georgia Tech’s pioneering Employee Resource Group for Introverts acknowledged as Cofield’s brain child, and referred to as “dazzling” by author and national blogger, Nancy Okerlund.
- The Academic Leader – “The Academic Leader’s Role in Promoting Inclusive Excellence” – Cofield outlines self-reflective approaches that enable leaders to reduce behaviors that inadvertently detract from supportive work environments.
- Diverse Issues in Higher Education/The Huffington Post – “GRIOT Series at Georgia Tech Unpacks Leadership Success” Stories - Program launched by Cofield in 2013 recognized as “safe space to alter deeply embedded practices” and a “commendable effort that should be replicated at other institutions to promote a foundation of mentorship and engagement that will blaze pathways to success.”
- Higher Education Workplace Magazine – “Creating the Leaders of the Future: Integrating Diversity and Leadership Development”- Cofield’s D&I program referred to as “sophisticated” and a “promising practice” in article focused on the interconnectivity between D&I initiatives, leadership development, and broader people strategies.
- Profiles in Diversity Journal – “Web of Brilliance: Georgia Tech Creates the First ERG for Introverts”- Article outlining innovative ways Cofield is hardwiring inclusive excellence into Georgia Tech’s DNA, and increasing community and organizational effectiveness by ensuring Georgia Tech maintains a campus culture where all employees feel valued, respected, and engaged.
- INSIGHTS Into Diversity – Georgia Tech’s D&I program has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (“HEED”) Award annually from 2014-2017.
- Leadership 500 Award from HR.com – Georgia Tech recognized as national thought leader for conceptualizing and implementing employee resource group for introverts.
Story Masters International™
(a subsidiary of Culture of Civility International)
“Cheryl is a seasoned storyteller who masterfully holds space for courageous conversations.”
Story Masters International™ is an emerging storytelling agency focused on social justice, identity, and healing stories, Through the powerfully transforming medium of personal storytelling (and story listening), we assist organizations spark intriguing dialogue and unearth hidden lines of connection to create community and shift organizational culture.
Services
- Story Coaching & Storytelling Workshops
- Digital Story Libraries & Collections
- DEI-Centered Narrative Photographic Portrait Exhibits
- Live Storytelling Events
“Participants are taken on a journey of self-discovery and healing through powerfully transforming personal stories.”
Sisters Rising Bravely™
(a subsidiary of Culture of Civility International)
“There comes a time in a woman’s life when she’s called to simply play bigger.”
A boutique personal empowerment firm focused on women’s efficacy, courage-building, and inter-group and intra-group identity development, Sisters Rising Bravely™ leverages unique offerings that help women explore their stories, create healthier boundaries, release self-limiting behaviors, and step into life with greater agency, authority, and power.
Services
- Exclusive Women’s Retreats & Gaming Experiences
- Women’s Healing Storytelling Circles
- Storytelling Workshops
- Intergroup & Intragroup Dialogues/Workshops
“Dialogues, workshops, and healing circles that motivate, inspire and affirm the human experience.”
