About the Author

For the past 25 years, Dr. Jes DeShields has studied, evaluated, and applied models of leadership, organizational behavior, and systems change across multiple sectors. From Fortune 250 and privately-owned companies to national nonprofits to entire communities, Jes's work ranges from preparing leaders to successfully run their organizations to improving the trajectory of organizations in crisis and those poised for growth.

Jes founded Crescent Leadership, a business consulting and leader coaching firm based on Leader-First® strategies, her distinct methodology for organizational change. Leader-First® strategies challenge leaders and teams of leaders first to examine how their behavior reinforces conditions for enduring growth and vitality or stagnation and decline. Jes's book, 9 Leader Touchstones, takes readers on the journey to becoming a Leader-First Leader. As a sought-after Speaker, Team Coach, and Leader Coach, Jes has delivered dynamic presentations and workshops to diverse audiences, ranging from multinational corporations to educational institutions. Known as a passionate and engaging storyteller, when Jes writes, speaks to large groups, works with teams, or engages with leaders one-on-one, she cultivates relationships of transparency, trust, and authentic connection. Her consulting approach and leadership philosophy focus on the long game, applying the appropriate infusion of innovation with endurance-based strategies and conscientious culturing.

Jes earned her Ph.D. in Management-Leadership and Organizational Change in 2014. She teaches as a guest lecturer for Cornell University at the Brooks School of Public Policy and as an instructor in eCornell's Executive Leadership, Women's Leadership, Change Leadership, and Nonprofit Management Certificate programs. She regularly speaks and writes on leadership, team dynamics, and organizational change, with a genuine desire to equip Leaders with the tools to navigate the challenges of leadership.

While Jes is zealous about leadership, her first love is family. She lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with her daughters, Madeleine and Emily, her soon-to-be son-in-law, Jordan, her husband, Dr. Brian DeShields, dogs Atlas and Archer, and cat Amos where they regularly fulfill their curiosity and passion for adventure and nature.