Leslie DeChurch is the Al Thani Professor of Communication at Northwestern University, where she studies leadership and teams. Her research examines how leadership and collaboration enable extraordinary collective achievement, in contexts ranging from the Italian Renaissance to space exploration to human–AI collaboration. She designs innovative, place-based leadership programs for undergraduates, professional students, alumni, and executives, using pivotal moments in human history to illuminate contemporary leadership challenges.

During her 2025–26 sabbatical, she is based between Italy and Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS)—an intentional bridge between the Renaissance of the 1400s and what many describe as a new renaissance today. She writes Professor Wears Prada, an essay project exploring what Italian history, culture, and everyday life can teach us about leading—and living—well.