Leadership
Michael H. Kelly
Michael serves as the executive director of the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University. The Institute was founded by Peter Drucker to collect, preserve, and share his work with scholars, students and leaders working to strengthen our “society of organizations” – the public, private, and social sectors – dedicated to building a more functioning society.
The Institute’s mission is to strengthen organizations and society through outreach, executive education and leadership and management training that helps people manage with courage.
He is a founding partner of the Sconset Group, advising leaders and organizations, such as the LA Coalition for the Economy & Jobs, whose mission is to bring together business and civic leaders to advance initiatives that stimulate the development of economic growth, quality jobs, housing, and a skilled workforce. He is the author of a weekly newsletter – Insights on LA.
Prior to working with the Los Angeles Coalition, Mr. Kelly has worked in several high-level positions, both in the private sector with The Boeing Company and with California Governor’s Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He is also the founding chair of the Philanthropic Foundation for California State University, Dominguez Hills, an advisory board member for WorkingNation and cofounder of LA Goes Pink, an organization that raises money for breast cancer researchers in Los Angeles.
Michael received an Economics Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master’s in Public Administration, with a focus on administration, policy and communications, from the University of Southern California. He was a Dean’s Merit Scholar at USC. Michael is married to Mia Kelly and is the proud father of three daughters.
Melissa Gholamnejad
Melissa Gholamnejad, PhD is the Deputy Director of Executive Education at Claremont Graduate University. She is dedicated to empowering leaders and organizations with transformative learning experiences that drive innovation, growth, and excellence. With a proven track record of orchestrating successful executive education programs, she collaborates closely with our faculty and client organizations to develop one-of-a-kind, cutting-edge curriculums, ensuring they reflect the latest industry trends, best practices, and emerging leadership concepts. Melissa was educated at the University of California, Irvine, and Claremont Graduate University, and holds a PhD in Philosophy, and has received further training from Oxford University in leadership and supply chain management.
Daniel Martin
Daniel serves as Chief Data Scientist for the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University. Daniel is currently pursuing a PhD in Positive Organizational Psychology at CGU, where he specializes in behavioral assessment development, the application of AI in personal and professional development practices, and the effects of positive emotion on professional communication networks. Daniel’s professional work involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to enhance organizational decision-making, as well as helping inform the development of technical systems to aid in automating these processes wherever possible. Daniel is passionate about applying his expertise in quantitative methodologies to help leaders make decisions that are informed by logical reasoning and sound evidence. Daniel’s work with us helps ensure that our processes yield measurable results that align with our mission and goals as an institution.
Cecilia Contreras
Cecilia serves as the Archivist for the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University. Her work consists of arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to the various collections within the Drucker Institute archives, which include but are not limited to the Peter F. Drucker Papers, Tom J. Peters Papers, and the Drucker Institute Collection. She is committed to assisting students, researchers, and the like with all their research-related needs. Cecilia holds a Master’s in Library and Information Science with specializations in archival and library studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.A. in History from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.