Dr. Kimberly Harden

Dr. Kimberly Harden, CEO of Harden Consulting Group, is a Leadership and Culture Consultant specializing in Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and WE-Centric workforce solutions. She partners with corporate, nonprofit, and academic leaders to refine recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion strategies while addressing workplace challenges such as interpersonal conflict. Through her proprietary DEBIT Training™ framework, Dr. Harden helps organizations transition from traditional diversity models to building WE-Centric teams that thrive on equity, belonging, and strategic talent management.

An award-winning educator with over a decade of experience as a professor of Communication Studies, Dr. Harden previously taught at Seattle University before founding Harden Consulting Group. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, presenting at conferences and events on topics such as cultural intelligence, belonging, and authenticity in the workplace. Dr. Harden is the author of The Allyship Challenge, a guide to actively supporting the rights and opportunities of historically marginalized groups, and Cultural Intelligence: A Blueprint for 21st-Century Leadership, which provides leaders with practical frameworks for developing cultural intelligence and creating inclusive, high-performing organizations.

Recognized for her contributions to justice, leadership, and mentorship, Dr. Harden has received the Innovative Response to Social Justice Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Spirit Award, and the Alumni Award for Excellence in Mentoring.

Dr. Harden holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Washington, a master’s degree in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and a doctorate in Transformational Leadership from Concordia University. Guided by the belief that “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,” Dr. Harden brings a holistic and WE-Centric approach to leadership development.