About Mildred Hastbacka, Ph.D.

Mildred Hastbacka is a leadership mentor, consultant, and author known for her work in workplace mentoring, talent development, and professional growth.

Over the years, I’ve worn quite a few hats: researcher, consultant, founder, mentor, manager, nonprofit leader. I’ve helped Fortune 50 companies sort through technology investments and intellectual property deals, and I’ve advised ambitious startups trying to change the world. Throughout all this, I’ve always been drawn to helping people perform at their best – to see them fly, not just once but consistently, and with real satisfaction.

I’ve led a nonprofit focused on preventing homelessness, championed mentoring across generations, and contributed to the Society of Women Engineers – a 40,000 strong professional organization dedicated to lifelong learning, development, and support for engineers navigating complex careers. And somewhere along the way, I realized that performance and success mean more than just metrics – it’s about unlocking the “Ace” that’s already within, then giving it a mission and enough fuel and space to fly.

~ Mildred Hastbacka, Ph.D.

Channeling Wisdom, A Practitioner’s Guide to Effective Mentoring in the Workplace, reflects and incorporates Mildred Hasbacka’s experiences as a mentor and as a mentee, accumulated over her decades-long career. Formally acknowledged by her work colleagues as an effective mentor and manager, she has been recognized for her “unique ability to bring humor, leadership and respect to the work environment.” She is considered “an exceptional consultant who gets right to the heart of the problem, and her appreciation of those working with her is abundantly clear…best of all, whether morale is waning or soaring, she is equipped with one-liners to keep the team laughing.”

Mildred has a Ph.D. from Brown University, a B.S. from M.I.T., and a M.S. in Taxation from Northeastern University, where she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.

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