ALUM CARRIE SPELL - HANSSON, PHD, BUILDS UP FEMALE LEADERS AND ADVOCATES FOR GLOBAL CHANGE IN HER WORK, CONTINUED RESEARCH

Resilience in successful women leaders, especially those who have experienced disrespect, is the focus of Carrie SpellHansson, PhD (HD, ‘22)’s work.

At an early age, she became aware of how detrimental lack of respect was for a female professional and only saw it escalate in the post-pandemic workplace.

“My journey started when I was a child,” Dr. Spell-Hansson said. “As a future woman of African descent growing up in the United States, it was obvious that there was an imbalance in terms of how people were being treated, and I did not understand that, nor could I accept it. I remember when I was five years old, sharing with my parents that when I grew up, I was going to change the world. Since then, I have learned that I can change the world, even if it’s only one person at a time.”

Dr. Spell-Hansson's experience of adversity in corporate positions, as well as frustrations with inequitable barriers and the status quo, led her to create The Folke Institute for Transformative Learning. The Folke Institute (TFI) is a transformational consulting firm specializing in leadership, change management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I needed a bigger room to play in. I was playing in rooms too small where I couldn’t be heard,” she said. “I couldn’t bring all of myself and my knowledge and my desire for change into these other environments, so I realized I needed to start my own company.”

Through The Folke Institute, Dr. Spell-Hansson and her team empower organizations and drive profitable business growth with a suite of innovative learning techniques, tools, and workshops that help individuals and organizations achieve success in today’s global workforce.

Dr. Spell-Hansson provides a transformational experience to her clients with her personable demeanor, ability to navigate tough conversations and wide-ranging expertise in statistics, finance, neuroscience, and other skill sets. Her academic and personal journey has its own signature resilience.

“I was a single mother, and I went back to school to complete my undergraduate degree when my son was four,” Dr. Spell-Hanssen said.

“I remember studying at night and saying, ‘I’m going to get a PhD one day.’ This was 40 years ago, but I had planted a seed.”

After working in various positions and earning a master's degree, she attended a Fielding session in the mid-1990s and realized that Fielding was a perfect theoretical and practical fit for her. She enrolled in 2002 and then embarked on a 20-year journey, earning a second master's degree two-thirds of the way through the program and graduating with her PhD in Human Development in 2022. She started and stopped as life got in the way; however, the desire and drive to finish her doctoral degree burned like an ember in her heart and mind.

Dr. Spell-Hansson's dissertation and subsequent work with resilience and respect stems from decades of work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is continuing her scholarly work as an Institute for Social Innovation Fellow at Fielding, as well as an Affiliate Member of the Respect Research Group at the University of Hamburg, Germany.

“Fielding helped me understand that I am both a scholar and practitioner,” she said. “Fielding is a beacon for people who are seeking a way of being able to express themselves. It’s a place where finding your voice can happen.”