Professor Emerita Brenda J. Allen (Ph.D., Howard University) served for 30 years in various academic and leadership roles in the University of Colorado system. Recruited in 1989 to CU Boulder as an Assistant Professor of Communication, she retired in 2019 as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Dr. Allen is renowned for scholarship, teaching, service, mentorship, and training related to organizational communication, diversity, leadership, education, and power. Among her numerous publications is a groundbreaking book entitled Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity. In 2020, she launched a global online course entitled Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity that is receiving international acclaim. As an independent consultant, she offers highly-rated workshops, facilitations, keynote speeches, and coaching on a variety of diversity, equity, inclusion, and leadership topics.