About

Having held a range of positions of responsibilities in the field of higher education over the last 40 years on four continents, I am mindful of the importance of developing active learners and effective leaders. Currently, I serve as the Associate Dean, Chairperson and Director of the MBA Program; and Professor of Management at Woodbury University, Burbank, California.  I teach, and have served as the Chair, for a special MBA Program for the Mercedes-Benz executives, China. I have served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Guadalajara campus, Mexico; E-Commerce curriculum advisor, Universidad Francisco Gavidia, El Salvador, and coordinator and lecturer for LA Fieldtrip for MBA students for the Berlin University for Professional Studies (DUW). I also serve as Accreditation Mentor and Site Visit Team Leader for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for various universities in America, Canada, Europe, and India.

I hold a PhD in Social Sciences from Tilburg University, Netherlands; a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles; an MBA from West Coast University, Los Angeles; and a Master’s of Commerce degree (with the gold medal) from the Panjab University, Chandigarh. I have also completed advanced Executive Leadership programs at Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton.

I was invited as the opening speaker at TED-x Conference @ College of the Canyons, California in 2013 to speak about the universal significance of story-telling. I won the Woodbury University Ambassador of the Year Award and MBA Professor of the Year Award in 2015 and 2017; Scholarly and Creative Writing Award, 2019; Most Valuable MBA Professor Award, 2018; Most Inspirational and Most Charismatic MBA Teacher Award 2012, 2013/2014/2018; the Steve Allen Excellence in Education Award in 2006, and the prestigious ACBSP International Teacher of the Year Award in 2004. Having served as its President (2016-2018), I have been elected as the Patron of International Chamber for Service Industry (ICSI), 2019.

I have done over 50 Conference Presentations and more than 50 Invited Keynotes, Plenary Sessions, Distinguished Key Guest Lectures and Creative Workshops—nationally and internationally; published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters; authored, co-authored, co-edited, and translated over 25 management, leadership, spirituality, and accounting related books and research monographs, including most recently authoring: Bhagavad Gītā and Leadership: A Catalyst for Organizational Transformation(2019—Palgrave Macmillan);Managing by the Bhagavad Gītā: Timeless Lessons for Today’s Managers(2018—Springer; with A. D. Amar); Holistic Leadership(Palgrave 2017), Gandhi and Leadership(Palgrave 2015), Seven Habits of Highly Fulfilled People(2012); and co-editing and co-authoring, with Joan Marques, Spirituality and Sustainability(Springer 2016), Leadership Today(Springer 2016), and Engaged Leadership(Springer, 2018). I have also translated several Indian spiritual classics into English, including the Sahaja Gītā.

I served as the Editor-in-Chiefof two multi-author Major Reference Works: Springer Handbook of Engaged Sustainability(2018—Springer International, Switzerland) and Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment(2018—Palgrave Macmillan, USA), Editor-in-Chiefof Palgrave Studies in Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillmentand editor of Springer Series in Management, Change, Strategy and Positive Leadership. Some of my forthcoming titles include: Leading without Power: A Model of Highly Fulfilled Leaders(2020—Palgrave Macmillan); Conscious Consumption: Healthy, Humane and Sustainable Living (2020—Routledge, UK); Wise Leadership for Turbulent Times(2020—Routledge, UK; with Mark Kriger); Editor-in-Chief,Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Wellbeing—A Major Reference Work (2020), and Routledge Companion to Mindfulness at Work(2020).

I am a difference maker; I touch future by connecting individuals with their greatness and goodness that lies within.