Expertise Speaking Resources Testimonials Work With Me
Organizational Trust & Leadership

Experience
You Can Trust.

Helping individuals and organizations achieve meaningful results — through research-backed frameworks on trust, leadership, and workplace culture developed over fifteen years of study and practice.

15yr
Research & Practice
80+
Organizations Advised
120+
Keynotes Delivered
1 Book
Bestselling Author
Dr. Elena Vasquez, PhD
Organizational Psychology
Latest Book
The Trust Equation: Why Teams Fall Apart and How to Rebuild Them
Wall Street Journal Bestseller · 2023
Featured In Harvard Business Review The Wall Street Journal Fast Company NPR Forbes
Areas of Expertise

What I Speak & Consult On

Three core areas of research and practice, developed through fieldwork with organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

01 — TRUST
Organizational Trust

Why trust erodes inside organizations, how it's measured, and the specific structural and behavioral changes that rebuild it — based on a decade of longitudinal research across 80+ organizations.

Core framework of "The Trust Equation"
02 — LEADERSHIP
Leadership Under Pressure

How leaders make decisions, communicate, and maintain credibility during periods of organizational change, layoffs, restructuring, or crisis — and what separates leaders teams trust from those they don't.

Used in leadership programs at 30+ companies
03 — CULTURE
Culture Change That Sticks

Why most culture initiatives fail within 18 months, and the specific operational and structural conditions required for lasting change — not posters on a wall, but systems that hold.

Featured methodology in Harvard Business Review
Keynotes & Workshops

Speaking

I speak at conferences, leadership summits, and corporate events on trust, leadership, and organizational culture — bringing research-backed frameworks to life through stories, data, and practical takeaways audiences actually use.

Speaker Reel · 2:14
The Trust Equation (Keynote)
A 45-minute keynote based on the bestselling book — why trust breaks down inside organizations and the specific, research-backed actions that rebuild it. Ideal for leadership summits and all-company events.
Leading Through Change (Workshop)
A half-day interactive workshop for leadership teams navigating restructuring, layoffs, or major change — focused on maintaining credibility and trust during periods of organizational stress.
Building Cultures That Last (Panel / Fireside)
A conversational format exploring why most culture initiatives fail and what separates organizations whose culture work actually sticks — adaptable for panels, fireside chats, or Q&A formats.
Selected Past Engagements
SHRM Annual ConferenceKeynote · 2024
Wharton Leadership SummitKeynote · 2024
Fortune Most Powerful WomenPanel · 2023
Internal Leadership Offsite, Fortune 500 Tech Co.Workshop · 2023
Aspen Ideas FestivalFireside Chat · 2022
Books & Resources

Frameworks & Tools

The intellectual foundation behind the consulting and speaking work — available to read, download, and apply.

Free
📄
Free Download
The Trust Audit: A Diagnostic Framework

A 12-question diagnostic that helps leadership teams identify exactly where trust is breaking down in their organization — the same framework used in client engagements.

Course
🎓
Online Course
Leading with Trust: A Practical Course for Managers

A self-paced course adapting the book's frameworks for working managers — five modules, downloadable worksheets, and real scenario walkthroughs.

What Organizations Say

Trusted by Leadership Teams

Elena's framework gave our leadership team a shared language for something we'd been struggling to articulate for years. The Trust Audit alone was worth the engagement.
Margaret Chen
Chief People Officer
Northbridge Financial Group
We brought Elena in for our leadership offsite during a major restructuring. The session was the single most valuable two hours of the entire week — practical, honest, and immediately actionable.
David Okafor
SVP of Operations
Halcyon Technologies
I've read a lot of leadership books that sound great and change nothing. The Trust Equation is different — we implemented three of the frameworks within a month and our engagement scores moved for the first time in two years.
Sarah Lindqvist
VP of Human Resources
Meridian Health Systems
Get In Touch

Work With Me

Whether you're looking for a keynote speaker, a consulting engagement, or a media interview — tell me about your organization and what you're working on, and I'll respond personally within 48 hours.

🎤
Speaking Engagements
Keynotes, workshops, panels — share your event details and dates.
🤝
Consulting & Advisory
Organizational assessments, leadership programs, and culture work.
📰
Media & Press
Interviews, commentary, and contributed pieces.

Send an Inquiry

I respond personally to every message, usually within 48 hours.