Dr. Sandra Upton

Dr. Sandra Upton is the Founder and Chief Inclusion + Change Management Strategist of Upton Consulting Group (UCG), where she helps organizations move beyond intention to measurable impact. Grounded in research-based change management and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), her work focuses on embedding inclusive behaviors and systems that drive sustainable business outcomes.

Prior to founding UCG, Dr. Upton served as Vice President of the Global Diversity Practice at the Cultural Intelligence Center, where she provided strategic leadership to Fortune 500 companies and leading academic institutions worldwide.

Over the course of her 30-year career, she has partnered with organizations including Amway, Corewell Health, SpartanNash, Starbucks, Kohl’s, McDonald’s, Perrigo, Saks Fifth Avenue, Willis Towers Watson, Harvard University, Cornell University, MIT, and Michigan State University.

Dr. Upton is the author of Make It Last: A Roadmap and Practical Strategies for How to Do DEI Work and a sought-after speaker known for reframing inclusion as a discipline of leadership, cultural intelligence and accountability. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, NBC, and global podcasts across the U.S. and U.K.

She has been recognized as a Crain’s Grand Rapids Business Notable Leader in DEI (2023) and received the inaugural Dr. Rhae-Ann Booker Inclusive Excellence Award from the Grand Rapids Chamber and University of Michigan Health-West (2024).