Richard Deems

Richard S. Deems, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized expert on organizational change and leadership. He founded Deems Associates Inc., also known as WorkLife Design, in 1982, providing services in the areas of leadership development, managing change, and career coaching. Before that, Deems was on the graduate faculties of Northern Illinois University and Iowa State University.   

He is a past ASTD Chapter President, and has presented at several ASTD International Conferences and the ASTD Leadership Conference. He has also presented at AJST conferences and was a board member for two years.  

Together, he and his daughter, Terri Deems, co-authored Downsizing with Confidence (HRD Press) and Leading in Tough Times (HRD Press), which has been a strong-selling title and was featured on Microsoft's Recommended Reading list. The Deems’ clients include American Red Cross National Headquarters, City of Phoenix, Deere & Company, Dial Corporation, Equitable Assurance, Georgia Pacific, Inland Press Association, Moline Dispatch, State Farm, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

He has been quoted in the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Canadian Business Journal, New York Post, Executive Excellence, Federal Times, and even The Sporting News. He has co-authored several articles with the late John C. Crystal, the man whose insights formed the basis of career-book legend What Color Is Your Parachute?.  

To request an interview with Richard Deems, contact Selena Dehne at sdehne@jist.com or (317) 613-4258.