Alan J. Yu, Ph.D.
​Instructional Designer & Leadership Development Consultant
About Me
Originally from the United States, Dr. Alan Yu is an instructional designer & leadership development consultant with experience working in the education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors in Asia and North America. Throughout his career, he has designed, developed & delivered online and in-person modules and programs around a variety of practical subject matter related to people development—including leadership, creativity, action learning/research, collective leadership, sustainability, communication/storytelling & multicultural dialogue, and social innovation.
Dr. Yu has a knack for designing interventions intended to transform individuals and cultures using perspectives from adult and group psychology, organizational leadership theories and principles, adult learning, politics and policymaking, and ethical philosophy. He has a passion for enlivening and inspiring organizations to realize their own potential and capability through facilitative methodologies that make use of dialogue, appreciative inquiry, and design thinking. He uses a reflective approach to learning focused on helping individuals in organizations explore different ways of being for self-development using various modalities including writing, storytelling, poetry, drama, music, and dance.
Dr. Yu earned his Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from University of San Diego in May 2015 where he concentrated his studies on teaching leadership, creativity, and innovation to adults. During his time as a graduate student, he developed and taught university coursework on creativity, action research, and social innovation. Dr. Yu also completed his dissertation work in Bali, where he investigated how Balinese leaders navigated the tension between the traditional past and the contemporary context using their cultural values in their creative decision-making process.
Prior to venturing into leadership education & consultancy, Dr. Yu was a professional graphic/user interface designer based out of Seattle developing online user experiences for various corporations in the area.
