Chandani Patel, PhD
Bold Leadership | Strategic Action | Transformative Impact
About Me
Name pronunciation: chAHn-duh-nee pUH-tel | Audio file | Pronouns: she/her/hers
I help leaders close the gap between their values and their impact.
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As a leadership coach, I work with individuals and teams navigating growth, change, and complexity—blending strategic thinking with empathy and practical tools to build self-aware leaders and high-performing, inclusive cultures. My focus: team dynamics, communication, organizational change, and the emotional intelligence that makes it all stick.
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I'm also an evidence-based scholar and educator. I teach literature, humanities, leadership development, and social-emotional learning, with a deep commitment to equity and inclusion in both classrooms and workplaces.
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My scholarship centers on transnational identity, home, and belonging in the Afro-Indian Ocean world—particularly the literature of South Asians in East and South Africa and literary connections across the Indian and Atlantic Ocean worlds. I hold a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Chicago and degrees from NYU, and serve on the Editorial Collective for the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), where I also co-chair the Academic Council.
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I currently serve as the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion at Rowland Hall, an independent preK–12 school in Salt Lake City.
Services
Workshop / Presentation Topics
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Lead From the Inside Out --- foundations of transformative leadership
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The High-Performance Team Blueprint -- build trust, deepen collaboration, unlock potential
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Inclusive Leadership in Action -- concrete tools for workplace cultures where everyone belongs
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Leading Through Change Without Losing Your People -- navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence
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From Conflict to Clarity -- move from identity-based conflict to transparent culture
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Feedback That Actually Works -- honest, equitable, developmental evaluation cycles
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Leading Across Difference -- cultural fluency for diverse, high-performing teams
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Values-Driven Leadership -- align who you are with how you lead
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Building a Culture Where People Thrive -- intentionally shape inclusive, high-performing environments
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Reading the Room -- assess your culture, identify obstacles, map a path forward
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Strategic Planning That Sticks -- turn shared vision into real results
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The Abundance Mindset -- lead with generosity in a scarcity-oriented world