Faculty: Lori L. Silverman

Lori L. Silverman, MS, MBA

Title(s):
Adjunct Professor
School(s):
Business
608/345-6303
Campus(es):
San Francisco, Online
pfprogress@aol.com
Lori

Every time radio and TV hosts interviewed Lori about her book, Stories Trainers Tell, they’d ask: “Can story be used for more than training?” This motivated her to spend three years scouring the world to uncover successful applications for Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over. When the Dummies series called, she and Karen Dietz, PhD authored her third bestseller, Business Storytelling for Dummies, solidifying her as a thought leader in the field.

One chapter blossomed into a unique framework for finding actionable insights in data and storifying them. This, combined with earlier career experiences consulting to Chevron, Valmet, Rhone Poulenc, the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and others, on shifting enterprise culture to embed data into decision-making, grew her prominence in helping individuals, teams, and organizations become data literate.

As the founder of Partners for Progress®, Lori also helps firms strategize about their future and navigate through messy, complex change. She’s worked across 25 industries, with firms like BMW Financial Services, McDonalds, Target, Bechtel, GE, and Phillips North America. As a keynote speaker at more than 80 events, Lori’s inspired thousands of people to take action. She has more than 100 published works to her credit on strategic thinking, teamwork, influence, self-managed teams, organizational change, and business storytelling. Within the quality industry, she’s the co-author of Critical SHIFT and Quality, Cost, and Competitive Position.

Lori holds a B.S. degree in psychology and an M.S. degree in counseling, both from UW-Madison. She also has an MBA degree from Edgewood College, Madison, WI. She’s a content developer for Ubiquity University’s micro-course called, “From Data to Insight and Action. Lori’s previously held ad hoc faculty positions at UW-Milwaukee’s School for Continuing Education and the Center for Professional and Executive Development at UW-Madison.

 

COURSES TAUGHT

MGT 353
Organizational Development
PSYCH 342
Organizational Development, Assessment & Intervention
PSYCH 396
Strategic Thinking

RESEARCH INTERESTS & AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

  • Strategic Leadership (strategic planning, scenario development, futuring)
  • Organizational Change (transformational)
  • Business Storytelling
  • Data Literacy (including data storytelling)

EDUCATION

  • MS (Counseling & Guidance), University of WI-Madison
  • MBA, Edgewood College

PROFESSIONAL & TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • 2016 - Present: Adjunct Professor, Golden Gate University
  • 1991 - Present: Strategist and Owner, Partners for Progress®
  • 2001: Program Director, Fluno Center for Executive Education, UW Madison
  • 2001 - 2010: Ad hoc Instructor, Continuing Education, UW Milwaukee
  • 2000 - 2012: Ad hoc Instructor, Fluno Center for Executive Education, UW Madison

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Dietz, K. and L. L. Silverman (2013). Business storytelling for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Silverman, L. L. (2006). Wake me up when the data is over: How organizations use stories to drive results. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Wacker, M. and L. L. Silverman. (2003). Stories trainers tell: 55 ready-to-use stories to make training stick. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
  • Silverman, L. L. with A. Probst. (1999). Critical Shift: The future of quality in organizational performance. Milwaukee, WI: ASQC Press.
  • Gitlow, H. and Process Management International (1990). Planning for quality, productivity, & competitive position. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin Professional Publishing. 

Published articles available at http://partnersforprogress.com/FreeArticles.htm and http://business-storytelling.com/free-articles/

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Member, World Future Society
  • Member, Organization Development Network
  • Professional Member, National Speakers Association

MEDIA & INTERVIEWS