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Karol M. Wasylyshyn's business career has evolved through the disciplines of journalism, psychology and leadership consulting. These merged disciplines provide the theoretical and experiential foundation of LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FORUM. She specializes in delivering customized leadership development services to senior business leaders. A recognized pioneer of executive coaching, Dr. Wasylyshyn has distinguished her work on three fronts: (1) executive coaching of CEOs and other corporate executives, (2) the design and implementation of CEO succession and high potential development programs, and (3) advancing the application of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

Dr. Wasylyshyn, a licensed psychologist, spent a decade in the publishing industry before completing her clinical training. This combination of business experience and psychological expertise distinguishes her practical applications of psychology in business.

A frequent speaker on the subject of executive behavior, Dr. Wasylyshyn has coached hundreds of executives representing every global sector. Her clients include or have included Bristol Myers Squibb, Chemours, Colgate Palmolive, DowDupont, FMC, GE Aerospace, GlaxoSmithKline, Henkels & McCoy, Johnson and Higgins (now MARSH), Johnson & Johnson, Norfolk Southern Corporation, PECO, Pfizer Int’l, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Revlon, Rohm and Haas Company (now Dow/Dupont), TE Connectivity, Teleflex, The Vanguard Group, The Camden Care Coalition, and The MasterCard Foundation.

She has served and been honored by numerous community-based organizations including The Painted Bride Arts Center, The Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Womens Way, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Leadership Philadelphia, The Farmers Market Trust and the SE Pennsylvania Chapter Board of the American Red Cross. She has served as Vice Chair of the Widener University Board of Trustees, and is a former Board President of The Forum of Executive Women.

A Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and APA’s Division of Consulting Psychology, Dr. Wasylyshyn’s current academic appointment is Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology, Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University. She is also a past member of the coaching faculty in The Wharton School’s Advanced Management Program. Widely published in her field, her most recent book, Destined to Lead, is the first collection of executive coaching cases and includes the leaders’ written reflections on their coaching experiences. In other books (Escaping the Corner and Standing on Marbles), she has used poetry (metaphorical thought) as a tool for exploring and understanding business leaders’ behavior. She is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious RHR Award for Excellence in Consultation. In both 2018 and 2020, the peer-reviewed Consulting Psychology Journal honored her with its Best Article of the Year Award. These articles focused on the trusted leadership advisor (TLA), a role she conceptualized and employs in her long-term consultative relationships with CEOs and other senior business leaders.