Reigniting Employee Engagement

Cheri Alexander is a Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where she teaches Leadership and Managing Human Capital across various programs, including the Bachelors and Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Management. Additionally, she supports Engineering students and delivers leadership and human capital management topics for Executive Education. Before her academic career, Cheri enjoyed a distinguished 33-year tenure at General Motors, where she served as President of General Motors University and Executive Director of Global HR. In her role as Chief Learning Officer, she oversaw Global Learning & Performance and was instrumental in the company's Global Integration Team, focusing on HR implementation in emerging markets. With extensive expertise in International Human Resource Management and Labor Relations, she has managed various aspects of HR, including mergers and acquisitions, talent management, and crisis management, and has worked in 51 countries across three continents. Cheri holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's in Industrial Health Engineering from the University of Michigan, along with a second Master's of Science in Management from MIT as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow. As a Certified Executive Leadership Coach, she specializes in coaching aspiring CEOs. Cheri's scholarly contributions include published work on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and a thesis on the Relocation of Dislocated Automobile Workers, with citations in multiple influential books. Passionate about global education, she frequently speaks on topics such as "Being International" and "Global Superficial Homogenization."

Dr. Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks is a distinguished Behavioral Scientist and the William Russell Kelly Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and has expertise in group dynamics, organizational change, and emotional intelligence. His research explores how cultural and emotional factors influence team success and innovation. Sanchez-Burks has published extensively in top-tier journals and has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. He teaches courses like Emotional Intelligence: Cultivating Immensely Human Interactions and Reigniting Employee Engagement, focusing on enhancing interpersonal skills in professional settings. With experience teaching leaders across over 30 countries, he is also a TED talk speaker and serves on the editorial board of Organization Science.