About the Authors
Author
Shermin Kruse is a professor, TEDx producer, writer, lawyer, idea curator, and storyteller. She currently teaches tactical empathy, complex negotiation leadership, and global transactions at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She is also a TED and TEDx talk producer (having produced more than 60 different TEDx talks and various TEDx music videos), a TEDx speaker, and a negotiation and leadership consultant specializing in weaponizing empathy and stoicism. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel “Butterfly Stitching,” inspired by the true experiences of herself and the women in her family before and after the Iranian revolution. Prior to this, Ms. Kruse was a partner at the law firm of Barack Ferrazzano where she represented international and Fortune 500 companies for 17 years.
Ms. Kruse is a frequent speaker on issues relating to tactical empathy, complex negotiation, stoicism, change-agency, leadership, and professional development. She is also often asked to speak on issues of international relations, non-profit management, and civil and human rights. She was recently named as the annual Woman Extraordinaire by the International Women Associates, featured by WomanScape Magazine for her global humanitarian work, and named one of the nation’s top 100 “Women to Watch” by BizWomen Magazine, one of Chicago’s most influential women by Chicago Business Journal, and one of Chicago’s Women of Inspiration by Today’s Chicago Magazine. Dedicated to her local and global community, Ms. Kruse is a founder of Pasfarda Arts and Culture Exchange, a director of the international refugee center RefuSHE, a founding member of the Chicago Council for the American Writers Museum, and a former director of the ACLU of Illinois.
Ms. Kruse’s educational alumni institutions include the University of Michigan Law School (J.D., cum laude), The University of Toronto (BSc, honors dual degree in Psychology and Philosophy), Northwestern University School of Professional Development (negotiation certification), and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (fully funded Emerging Leader Fellowship).
