Nicholas A. Pearce
Member at Large
Biography
Clinical Professor of Management & Organizations
Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management
Founder & CEO
The Vocati Group
Biography
Dr. Nicholas A. Pearce is a Chicago native and vocational multi-hyphenate who has committed his life to creating social impact at the intersection of the academy, the marketplace, and the church. An award-winning organizational behaviorist, trusted executive adviser, and respected Christian faith leader, Nicholas serves as a clinical professor of management & organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and is the founder and chief executive officer of The Vocati Group, a boutique global management consultancy. He is a TEDx speaker and the author of the bestselling book, The Purpose Path: A Guide to Pursuing Your Authentic Life’s Work.
Nicholas is an acclaimed public scholar, keynote speaker, and management educator with expertise in purpose-driven leadership, organizational culture, negotiation strategy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Through his work at Northwestern Kellogg and The Vocati Group, Nicholas has been privileged to serve leaders in over 200 of the world’s most prolific corporations, social impact organizations, communities of faith, and government agencies. He and his work have been consistently featured in notable global media outlets including ABC News, BBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CBS Evening News, Christianity Today, CNN, Crain’s Chicago Business, ESPN, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, NBC News, New York Times, NPR, Univision, UrbanFaith.com, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Blessed with a shepherd’s heart and a scholar’s mind, Nicholas is also an internationally sought-after Christian minister. A gifted communicator and thoughtful expositor of the Scriptures, Nicholas is frequently called upon to minister across cultural, generational, and denominational boundaries. Through his global work as an evangelist, conference speaker, and leadership trainer, as well as his previous roles as a local pastor for Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God and Apostolic Faith Church, Nicholas has been honored to serve and encourage tens of thousands of people.
Committed to community impact and service, Nicholas also serves as a trustee of the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Field Foundation, Fuller Theological Seminary, and McCormick Theological Seminary. Previously, he served on the boards of Access Community Health Network, Chicago Community Trust African American Legacy Fund, Harvey Fellows Program, and Seminary Co-Op Bookstores.
Celebrated for his leadership and scholarship, Nicholas is a 2021 recipient of The Aspen Institute’s Ideas Worth Teaching Award and has been a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow since 2015. He has also been named Kellogg’s MSMS Professor of the Year, a Galbraith Scholar by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Public Voices Fellow by The OpEd Project, a Harvey Fellow by the Mustard Seed Foundation, a Fitzhugh Fellow by the National Black MBA Association, one of Chicago’s 40 Game Changers (under 40) by WVON/Ariel Investments, and one of Today’s Joshuas by The Christian Outlook.
Nicholas holds MS and PhD degrees in Management & Organizations from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and an SB in Chemical Engineering & Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a concentration in Religious Studies earned in conjunction with Harvard Divinity School.
Nicholas resides in his hometown with his family.