Meet Dr. Jeanne Porter

Dr. Jeanne Porter is the founder and President of the TransPorter Consulting Group in Chicago. Her mission is to move people and systems to higher levels of effectiveness. Jeanne is an ordained minister and a seasoned organizational development consultant with over 20 years of consulting and training experience in a variety of industries including manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, as well as with community groups, governmental agencies, churches and other faith-based institutions. Prior to launching her own consulting practice, Jeanne worked as Senior Consultant in the Diversity Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, as well as in a number of organizational development positions in Fortune 500 companies. In addition, she has served as educational consultant to a number of churches across the country to develop strategic leadership programs, based on her customized leadership process, Church Full of Leaders™.

Dr. Porter has served in numerous leadership roles in corporate, educational and religious organizations, including serving as the Dean of Ministerial Leadership for the Sacred College of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Dr. Porter is a popular inspirational speaker and conference and retreat leader and her inspiration messages have been heard across Chicagoland in such radio programs as “Reading through the Bible,” the “Word for the Day,” and “Wake Up to the Word”. A gifted teacher, Dr. Porter has served on the faculties of North Park University and DePaul University, has taught in the African American Leadership Partnership program at McCormick Theological Seminary, and has served as visiting professor at the University of Tampere in Finland. Her messages and teaching have been described as transforming, dynamic, uplifting and empowering.

Dr Porter’s writings focus on leadership and leadership development, especially as it relates to women, churches, and communities of color. She has published monographs that explored the dynamics of leadership in the Gullah communities of the Sea Islands. She is also the author of two books on women and leadership, Leading Ladies: Transformative Biblical Images for Women’s Leadership, and Leading Lessons: Insights on Leadership from Women of the Bible. In both books she challenges traditional notions of leadership that have prevented many women and men from making significant impact and offers fresh insights into leadership styles and models that truly transform lives. Dr. Porter has contributed chapters to two other books: Women’s Liberation: Jesus Style and Nature of a Sistuh: Black Women’s Lived Experiences in Contemporary Culture. She has published numerous articles on transformative leadership development in such venues as Urban Ministries, The African American Pulpit and Lutheran Woman Today.

Dr. Porter received both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, the Master of Arts of Theological Studies with a focus on leadership and spiritual formation from McCormick Theological Seminary, in Chicago, Illinois, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Communication with emphasis on Cultural Studies from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She has also completed a number of professional certification programs including Columbia University’s Principles and Practices of Organizational Development.