Dr. Helen Fagan is a leadership scholar and practitioner with specializations in Emotional Intelligence, Intercultural Mindset, Psychological Capital, and Neuroscience of Transformation. She is the founder of Helen Fagan & Associates, which provides consulting and leadership coaching to organizations, communities, and executives. A 2020 Inspire Leadership Excellence in Education award recipient and a 2021 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fulfilling the Dream award recipient, Dr. Fagan thrives on developing the potential in leaders to create positive impact. She served as a
faculty at University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2014-2024.

In addition to a PhD in Human Sciences with a specialization in leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Fagan holds multiple certifications and is a trained executive coach. She is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory, which she has used with developing thousands of individuals globally. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Fagan was invited as a faculty member of the Qatar Institute for Intercultural Communication, providing workshops for
faculty, staff, and graduate students working at six US universities in Education City in Qatar. Dr. Fagan’s expertise in developing leaders, organizations, and communities has enabled her to speak in multiple nations and, at last count, four continents. Her book, Becoming Inclusive: A Worthy Pursuit in Leadership (2021), has gained popularity and provides a road map for leaders endeavoring to create environments where every team member can thrive. In 2023, she and her
team launched the twelve month Guided Leadership Development Journey. The program is grounded in leadership theory, emotional intelligence, intercultural competence, and neuroscience of transformation.

Before academia, Dr. Fagan created and led the diversity and cultural competence initiatives at Bryan Health in Lincoln, NE. Her approach was considered so innovative that Bryan Health gained national recognition and were featured in a Joint Commission (hospital accreditation body) publication. During that time, she played a key role recruiting and resettling nurses from the Philippines to address the nursing shortage in Nebraska. Dr. Fagan also worked diligently to address
the employment and healthcare needs of refugees and immigrants. She held a strong voice for eliminating the use of children as medical interpreters in healthcare settings. As an international student from Iran who arrived in the United States as an unaccompanied minor at age fifteen, Dr. Fagan has experienced a tremendous number of challenges during her life. She has used each of those challenges to inspire others, especially women, and, as a result, has received numerous awards for her contributions to the lives of others, including a key to the city of Lincoln.

In 2018, Dr. Fagan served as a Consulting Producer on a short film, The Healing of Harman. The film was directed by the Academy Award-nominated Director Seth Pinkster. This film has been used to create discussions with leaders about how communities can foster a spirit of welcoming people and embracing their healing. The film won Morehouse College’s Best Human Rights Short Film in 2020.