Meet your coach!
Lauren Greenlee, Ph.D.
Core Values
Perseverance
Development, change, and growth only happen if you keep going.
Commitment
Be intentional about what is important and choose how to spend your time.
Learning
Learning is the cornerstone for achieving your future goals and dreams.
Growth
Be open to feedback and embrace the experience of moving forward.
My non-linear career path…
I was an engineer who wanted to learn French.
After an undergraduate career studying chemical engineering and focusing on what I “should” do, I struggled with what my professional direction should be. I had core passions in travel and language, and ultimately figured out how to pursue those passions through several years of working in Switzerland, France, and Spain. This experience was my first foray into the challenge of identifying my own direction against the influence and pressures of what was normal or expected.
Biotech startup to back to school
In a terrible job market, I traveled hours to job fairs, applied to tons of jobs, and after 9 months, landed a job with a biotech startup. Working with Ph.D. scientists helped me realize that if I wanted to lead R&D, I needed a Ph.D.
So I applied to graduate schools. But not in biotech – I did some soul searching about what I could spend a career doing, and it wasn’t biotech. Instead, I decided I wanted to study water. I pursued a M.S. in Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.
Water as a scientific passion, along with travel & language.
Through graduate school and beyond, I loved learning about and solving problems related to water: water treatment, water quality, new energy technologies, and agriculture sustainability. I combined my love for learning, engineering R&D, languages, and travel in positions across national lab, university, and startup organizations. I spent 20 years leading R&D projects, as well as leading increasingly complex collaborations and teams.
Our most important resource is people, including ourselves.
My first experience leading a team was fraught with many mistakes. I realized I needed to learn about myself, develop a new skillset, and learn about other people. I have since spent the last 13 years learning and coaching others around topics of personal growth, communication, productivity, leadership, management, planning, habits, and goal setting.
Overcoming fears and making bold changes.
In 2021, I realized I needed to make a change. Not just a change, but a leap into the unknown. I left a permanent position at a university to join a startup as their CTO. I doubled down on business learning with a leadership certificate-turned part-time MBA. I found mentors, learned how to run a business, pitched to investors, and built a team and lab from scratch. I also learned when to walk away and how important it is to trust your gut, your intuition.
Today: Executive leadership, with a focus on people and life-long learning.
I am currently an Executive Vice President on the executive leadership team of XPRIZE Foundation, where I lead our work across the food, water, and waste sectors. I am a life-long learner and a problem-solver. I enjoy helping others develop and see that they can achieve great things, with the right support and tools. I focus on people and the development of both personal and professional skillsets that can help each person be the best version of themselves. I am here to help you be bold, get un-stuck, ideate around your passions, and figure out how to pursue your dreams and goals.