Dr. Joanna Starek is a senior partner in RHR International’s San Francisco office. Joanna has provided leadership advisory services to CEOs and boards for the past 13 years. Her core expertise is coaching first-time CEOs and building strong executive teams. She works with organizations ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to privately held companies and entrepreneurial startups. She currently manages several of the firm’s largest clients, advising a number of technology companies as well as those in retail, consumer products, healthcare, and apparel. Joanna is often sought after as an advisor to companies preparing to go public as well as those navigating stages of hypergrowth. She also co-leads the RHR strategic partnership with the Human Performance Institute, owned by Johnson & Johnson.
Prior to joining RHR International, Joanna was a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she won several teaching awards. In addition to her teaching and research duties at University of Colorado Boulder, she worked as a performance enhancement consultant with elite athletes and teams. Most recently, her research on self-deception in athletes was featured on NPR’s Radiolab.
Joanna grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, a master’s from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a PhD from Colorado State. When not working, Joanna spends as much time as possible traveling, hiking, biking, kayaking, and enjoying the outdoors with friends and family.
