Business Background

Debra is unique among corporate trainers

Business acumen and deep knowledge

  • Faculty and author at Stanford Graduate School of Business;

  • Harvard Business School graduate

Broadcast media mastery

  • National Public Radio reporter & producer

Improv performance and teaching expertise

  • 15+ years teaching improv skills, mindsets, and tenets

Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB)

  • Teaches two new MBA courses she created: Creativity in the Business Ecosystem & Spontaneous Management, the school’s first improv-based management course

 

Researched, wrote, and published 80 Stanford GSB cases

  • Developed a wide breadth and depth of knowledge about strategy; marketing; product and social innovation; creativity; humor; and storytelling. Cases taught in MBA class worldwide

On-air reporter & producer for National Public Radio

  • Engaged millions of listeners nationwide with her stories and commentaries on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Marketplace. Produced thousands of stories for flagship shows

 

Improv performer and teacher for over 15 years

Developed skills for thinking on her feet, communicating with presence and clarity, engaging audiences with humor, and collaborating creatively

 
 

Debra teaches two innovative Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA courses she co-designed. 

Spontaneous Management empowers students to improve their spontaneity, creativity, presence, and collaboration skills — all of which enable them to become more effective and inspirational leaders. It is one of the only such MBA courses in the world.

The course uses techniques that improv actors use on stage:  thinking on your feet, effective collaboration and brainstorming, nonverbal communication, presence, storytelling, and risk-taking, this course has become one of the most popular and highly-rated courses at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Creativity in the Business Ecosystem, the core strategy course  Debra co-designed and teaches,  explores what creativity means in a business context and how it impacts corporate strategy. It teaches students how to promote organizational creativity, analyze returns on innovation, and evaluate make-or-buy decisions.

Debra authored and published over 80 business cases, which are taught in MBA and Executive Education classes at Stanford Graduate School of Business and other business schools around the globe. Her cases cover a broad range of topics including high-tech and telecommunications strategy; marketing; social media; social and product innovation; organizational behavior; and the use of storytelling and humor in business.

She proudly coaches the school’s improv performing team.

 
 
 

Debra spent a decade as a reporter, director, and producer for National Public Radio and Marketplace. As a reporter, she engaged millions of listeners nationwide with her stories on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, and Day to Day. She produced thousands of breaking news and feature stories for All Things Considered and directed the live broadcast. While at All Things Considered, she produced stories for two Peabody Award-winning series.

 
 
 
 
 

The first year at Harvard Business School is laser-focused on the core skills of finance, marketing, operations management, accounting, entrepreneurship, and ethics. In her second year, Debra added electives in leadership, high-performing teams, and people management.