Dr. Maria Church knows what it is like to lead a team. With over 25 years working for Fortune 500 companies, local governments, non-profits, and academia, she is intimately familiar with all the ups and downs of holding a senior leadership position in both the public and corporate worlds.  

Today, as CEO of Dr. Maria Church International, including Government and Corporate divisions as well as Leadership Development University, Maria brings that depth of knowledge and her unique qualifications – specializing in organizational culture, change agility, and leadership development – to the aid of companies, teams and individuals.  

Dr. Church, author of the best seller Love-Based Leadership: The Model for Leading with Strength, Grace, and Authenticity, as well as the upcoming book, A Course in Leadership: 21 Spiritual Lessons on Power, Love, and Influence has started a long-needed movement to revolutionize the workplace by transforming leadership at all levels through a seismic shift from fear to love.

Her organizational culture work has realized her clients over 300% ROI, intentionally reshaping their cultures to pursue clear strategic objectives and become differentiators in their marketplace. She holds a Doctor of Management degree in Organizational Leadership and has been teaching for several universities for the past 20 years winning numerous faculty awards.  

Maria is part of the elite 17% worldwide that has earned a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation from the National Speakers Association. And, as probably the recognized expert in organizational culture and leading with love, she has been sought out to speak on many in-person and virtual stages across North America for associations, corporations, local governments, and non-profits. 

Her message is simple, compelling, and transformative. Because of that, she has been featured on radio shows, television interviews, and in both magazine and newspaper features. Maria writes numerous articles on leadership for a variety of periodicals and hosts an online leadership series, Dr. Maria TV. Splitting her time between Scottsdale and the restorative canyons of Southern Arizona, Maria continues to work with high-performing organizations while working on her next book about exemplary corporate and local government cultures.  

She is a classic rock and classic Motown junkie who one day hopes to learn drums from Keith Moon and Benny Benjamin in Rock-n-Roll Heaven.

“Love-Based Leadership has taught me that leading with heart and love fosters a work environment where authenticity, growth, and collaboration flourish. Focusing on skills, listening, and respect, I was able to develop and communicate my vision, and then support my team as they owned and ran with that vision. I am eternally grateful to Maria and her work for showing me how to become the leader I want to be and how to develop and support the best in myself and my team.”

— Shauna McIsaac, MD