Surabhi Lal is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service at NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is in the business of creating a better future of work—whether it be remote, hybrid, or in-person. A boundary spanning leader, she is a facilitator, professor, and storyteller who creates spaces where people feel seen and builds workplace communities where people want to go to work. Using empathy and strategy she guides leaders in creating cultures grounded in inclusion, belonging, and learning. She gets great joy from making the unwritten rules of job searching and work to be more explicit to create greater transparency and equity. Throughout her career, she has coached thousands of job seekers (including many Wagner students and alumni), entrepreneurs, and organizations to help them create a better future of work.
She is pursuing a PhD in Leadership and Change where she is researching models of leadership that center work communities in belonging, learning, and performance. Surabhi brings her passion for a better future of work to her portfolio as a Senior Advisor at Jobs for the Future (JFF), social impact consulting through SL Collaborative Ventures LLC, the creator of SIPS & Leadership, and CliftonStrengths Coach. She is a board member at Manhattan Country School, Luminary, Share and Care (India), and Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work. She holds a Master of Education from The University of Vermont, and bachelor degrees from Virginia Tech in Agricultural Economics and Liberal Studies.