Valerie Sessa

Valerie Sessa is a tenured Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Montclair State University. Prior to MSU, she worked as a research scientist and director at the Center for Creative Leadership. During her tenure at CCL, as the director of executive selection, she managed the start-up operation designed to provide cutting edge research and knowledge on executive selection to the academic and business communities. In this role, she served as the company expert and spokesperson to clients, professional audiences, and the press. Later as director of new initiatives, she directed, designed, and implemented on-going innovative business initiatives that supported long term business goals. Valerie has also worked as a consultant in a variety of areas, most recently assessing middle and high potential managers using instruments, behavioral assessment centers, and feedback. Consulting activities include Bellevue Medical Center, Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, Citibank, New York Hospital System, and Xerox.

Her current interests include leadership development in college students and continuous learning at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Her books include Executive Selection: Strategies for Success (with Jodi Taylor), Continuous Learning in Organizations: Individual, Group, and Organizational Perspectives (with Manny London), Work Group Learning: Understanding, Improving, and Assessing How Groups Learn in Organizations (with Manny London), College Student Leadership Development, and Essentials of Job Attitudes and other Workplace Psychological Constructs (with Nathan Bowling) . Her research publications have appeared in a variety of business and psychology journals. Her work has also appeared in such periodicals as Business Week, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review.

Valerie received her B.A. in psychology from University of Pennsylvania and her Master and Doctoral degrees in industrial and organizational psychology from New York University. She is a member of the Academy of Management, APA, SIOP, and the International Leadership Association.