Becky Reichard is a Full Professor in the Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences and the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, where she also serves as Academic Director of the Doctorate in Executive Management program. A nationally recognized expert in leadership and organizational behavior, Reichard brings a unique blend of scholarly rigor, applied impact, and inclusive leadership to her roles in research, teaching, and consulting.
A leading voice in the field of leader development, Reichard’s research centers on accelerating leadership growth, particularly among historically underrepresented populations, including women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Her work examines the psychological mechanisms that drive leadership emergence and effectiveness, such as feedback receptivity, goal setting, self-views, implicit theories of leadership, and readiness for development. She also explores how non-work domains, like family, community, and identity contexts, shape the leader development journey.
Reichard’s scholarship has garnered international recognition, with over 9,700 citations and an H-index of 28 as of 2025. She has authored over 60 publications and 80 conference presentations, including 36 peer-reviewed journal articles; seven in The Leadership Quarterly (impact factor 9.7). Additional publications span top-tier outlets such as the Academy of Management Learning & Education, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, and Organizational Dynamics. She has also co-edited two books and contributed 22 chapters to edited volumes focused on leadership.
In the classroom, Reichard is known for her evidence-based, experiential approach to graduate education. Grounded in adult learning theory, her courses blend cutting-edge research, hands-on projects, and diverse instructional technologies. Across 267 graduate student evaluations, her teaching has received an average rating of 6.41 out of 7. She has taught many core and advanced courses, including Leader Development, Positive Leadership, Directed Research, and Doctoral Seminar in Leadership. She is a committed mentor to emerging scholars, having graduated over 20 PhD advisees and co-authored publications with 25 student collaborators.
Reichard is the founding faculty director of LeAD Labs (Leader Evaluation, Assessment, and Development), established in 2013 to bridge the gap between leadership research and applied practice. Under her leadership, LeAD Labs has secured over $940,000 in grants and consulting contracts across 22 funding sources and employed more than 100 graduate students on applied leadership projects. These projects have included assessment centers, 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, developmental workshops, and data-informed leader development planning, supporting clients ranging from local nonprofits to global institutions such as the Museum Leadership Institute, University of Cape Town, and Right to Play Africa.
A highly engaged scholar-practitioner, Reichard is a frequent keynote speaker and facilitator, having delivered over 75 invited talks, webinars, and workshops for organizations focused on social impact, education, and leader development. Her consulting portfolio spans California institutions and beyond, including Golden West College, the California Agricultural Leadership Program, the Orange County Transportation Authority, and Educate 2 Lead.
Reichard has also made significant contributions to the scholarly community. She currently serves as Associate Editor for Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies and Editorial Board member at The Leadership Quarterly. She was previously Associate Editor for Group & Organization Management, managing 56 manuscripts through the review and publication process. She is an active reviewer for over a dozen academic journals and a long-standing contributor to the Academy of Management, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the International Leadership Association.
At CGU, Reichard is a cornerstone of the Organizational Behavior PhD program in DBOS. She serves as primary advisor to a diverse cohort of doctoral students, regularly chairs dissertation committees, and has contributed to institutional leadership through service on faculty search committees, admissions, budgeting, diversity initiatives, and student groups.
Whether you are a prospective PhD student passionate about advancing leader development or a mission-driven organization seeking transformational leadership development strategies, Reichard brings both the scholarly depth and practical experience to drive real-world impact.
Co-authored with *Reichard, E.A., *Smith, D., & Houghton, J. (2025). “Advancing the construct of self-leadership: A bibliometric review”. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 32(2), 149-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518251316085
Co-authored with Pitichat, P., *Parker, K. (2024). “Elevating aspiring diverse leaders through PsyCap: Evidence-based strategies for developing HEROs”. Organizational Dynamics, 51(3), 100984. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4699721
Co-authored with Walker, D. O. H., Middleton, E. D., Riggio, R. (2024). “Leadership Role Occupancy and Leader Self-Views Across 20 Years: Implications for Leader Development”. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 31(3), 267-288. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518241256542
Co-authored with *Kea-Edwards, A.N., & *Diaz, J.B.B. (2023). “Development or discrimination: Black women leaders’ experience with multisource feedback”. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 75(1), 68-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000215
Co-authored with *Shults, S.G., *Diaz, J.B.B., Pitichat, T., & *Kea-Edwards, A. (2022). “Pursuing your leader development: Lessons from 101 executives”. Organizational Dynamics, 51(3), 100894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2022.100894
Co-authored with Liu, Z., Riggio, R.E., & Walker, D.O.H. (2022). “Everyday leadership: The construct, its validation, and developmental antecedents”. International Leadership Journal, 14(1), 3-35.
Co-authored with Vogel, Batistic, and Cerne “A bibliometric review of the leadership development field: How we got here, where we are, and where we are headed.” The Leadership Quarterly (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2020.101381
Co-authored with Yip, Trainor*, Black*, and Soto* “Coaching new leaders: A relational process of integrating multiple identities.” Academy of Management Learning & Education, (2020). https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0449
Co-authored with Trainor* and Jensen* et al. “Women’s leadership across cultures: Intersections, barriers, and leadership development.” In Cambridge Handbook on Psychology of Women, edited by F.M. Cheung and D.F. Halpern. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108561716
Co-authored with Cotter* “Developing cultural competence through engagement in cross-cultural interactions.” Advances in Global Leadership (2019). https://doi.org/10.1108/S1535-120320190000012005
Co-authored with Middleton* and Walker*. “Developmental trajectories of leader identity: Effect of learning goal orientation.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051818781818
Co-authored with Pitichat*, Kea-Edwards*, and Middleton*, et al. “Psychological capital for leader development.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051817719232
Co-authored with Johnson et al. “Mastery goal orientation and performance affect the development of leader efficacy during leader development.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051817713689
Co-authored with Walker*, and Middleton*, et al. “Believing is becoming: The role of leader developmental efficacy in leader self-development.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051816657981
Co-authored with Beck*. “Leader developmental readiness: Deconstructed and reconstructed.” In Leader Development Deconstructed, Annals of Theoretical Psychology, edited by M.G. Clark. Switzerland: Springer International (2017). https://DOI.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64740-1_6
Co-edited with Thompson. “Leader developmental readiness: Pursuit of leadership excellence.” New Direction in Leadership (2016; vol. 149): Jossey-Bass.
Co-authored with Serrano*, Condren*, Dollwet*, and Wang* “Engagement in Cultural Trigger Events in the Development of Cultural Competence.” Academy of Management Learning & Education (2015). https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2013.0043
Co-authored with Dollwet* and Louw-Potgieter. “Development of Cross-Cultural Psychological Capital and Its Relationship with Cultural Intelligence and Ethnocentrism.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. (2014). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051813515517
Co-authored with Dollwet* “Assessing cross-cultural skills: Validation of a new measure of cross-cultural psychological capital.” International Journal of Human Resource Management. (2014). https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.845239
Co-authored with Avey, Luthans, & Mhatre “A review, synthesis and meta-analysis of positive psychological capital.” Human Resource Development Journal (2013). https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20070
Co-authored with Avey, Lopez, and Dollwet* “Having the will and finding the way: A review and meta-analysis of hope at work.” Journal of Positive Psychology. (2013). https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.800903
Co-authored with Sweida*. “Gender stereotyping effects on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and high-growth entrepreneurial intention.” Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. (2013). https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001311326743
Co-authored with Johnson “Leader self-development as organizational strategy.” The Leadership Quarterly. (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.12.005
Co-authored with Avolio, Hannah, Walumbwa, & Chan “A meta-analytic review of leadership impact research: Experimental and quasi-experimental studies.” The Leadership Quarterly (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.06.006
Co-authored with Johnson, Murphy, Zewdie “The strong, sensitive type: Effects of gender stereotypes and leadership prototypes on the evaluation of male and female leaders.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2007.12.002
*Co-author was a student when the research was conducted.
Organizational Behavior
Directed research
Positive leadership
Training and Development
Leader development
Job design
Leadership assessment