Steven Yacovelli

Dr. Steve Yacovelli (a.k.a. "The Gay Leadership Dude®") has been educating, engaging, and entertaining audiences big and small, virtual or face-to-face for almost 30 years. Audiences leave his sessions energized, excited, and informed about strategies to be more inclusive, to foster diversity and belonging within their workplace, and with solid, actionable steps any Leader can take to help make their teams--and the world--a little more welcoming for all.

Steve is Owner & Principal of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a learning and development, leadership, change management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, USA, with affiliates ("TopDoggers") across the globe. He's also a thought leader and expert on the concepts of inclusive leadership as they relate to the LGBTQ+ and Ally Community. His two recent books, Pride Leadership: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Leader to be the King and Queen of their Jungle (2019) and Your Queer Career®: Workplace Advice from "The Gay Leadership Dude®" (2024) have won him accolades and awards alike. Steve also ranks as a "Top Voice" on LinkedIn, a rare badge given out by LinkedIn.

But Steve's no single-topic speaker, having had the pleasure and experience of working with some great client-partners who he considers to be members of the extended TopDog "pack." He's worked with Fortune 500 greats like The Walt Disney Company, Bayer, TD Bank, and Charles Schwab to amazing not-for-profits like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PBS, and The American Library Association; large universities like The Ohio State University and The University of Central Florida, to small entrepreneurial rock stars like International Training & Development and GovMojo, Inc. He's thoroughly enjoyed helping his client-partners grow, develop, expand, and be successful with his virtual or face-to-face keynotes (or, signature talks), workshops, training sessions, and panel discussions on topics ranging from leadership, change management, being resilience in times of change, corporate learning (especially distance education), and diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace.

Having earned a Doctorate in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University in 2005, Steve is no stranger to virtual deliver. His ability to leverage the technology to connect with his virtual audience is unparalleled, and has earned him fantastic review especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and after. Whether he's delivering in-person on online, Steve bring his positive energy, thoughtful content, and lasting impressions to all audiences, regardless of delivery method.

With almost 30 years' experience in leadership, strategy, organizational learning, and communication, Steve is a rare breed of professional that understands the power of using academic theory and applying it to the corporate setting to achieve business results, all while making the world a little more inclusive for all. Oh, and he's quite fond of dogs, too.

KEYWORDS: Leadership, Change Management, eLearning, e-Learning, Resilience, Learning, LGBTQ, LGBT, Queer, Diversity