Claude Steele

Claude Steele

Keynote Speaker: Social Psychologist, Stereotype Threat Researcher, Author

Claude Steele Biography

Claude M. Steele is an American social psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. He also holds an appointment in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford.

Steele is widely recognized for his research on stereotype threat and its influence on minority student academic performance. His earlier work explored the self (e.g., self-image, self-affirmation) and the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors. His seminal book, "Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do," published in 2010, summarizes extensive research on stereotype threat and the underperformance of minority students in higher education.

He earned a B.A. in Psychology from Hiram College, an M.A. in Social Psychology from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Statistical Psychology from Ohio State University.

Steele has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Education, and the American Philosophical Society. He currently serves on the boards of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Scripps College, and SFJazz.

His past academic leadership roles include serving as the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at Stanford University, the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, and the 21st Provost of Columbia University. He was also the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley from 2014 to 2016. Steele has additionally held positions as director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and as director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

Professor Steele has received numerous honorary degrees, including from Yale University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, DePaul University, and Claremont Graduate University. In 2020, he received the Legacy Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. This prestigious award recognizes seminal career contributions that have significantly shaped the field of social psychology.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Claude Steele and other top speakers and celebrities.

Claude Steele Speaking Topics

Building trust, showing up, and creating ‘beloved communities’

How can we build successfully diverse universities in which people feel they can contribute from the standpoint of their backgrounds and identities, and yet not be discriminated against based on those backgrounds and identities?

Claude Steele, professor of psychology at Stanford University, shares early insights from his forthcoming book in a talk he calls “Churn: Life in the Increasingly Diverse World of Higher Education and How to Make It Work.”

The author of Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do, Dr. Steele is renowned for his research on stereotype threat and its application to the academic performance of underrepresented students.

Churn and the Tension Between Remembering and Forgetting

Dr. Steele will discuss his concept: when two people, or groups of people, each with their contingencies of identity, are attempting to communicate across differences, there is a lot going on cognitively, affectively, and emotionally in these situations.

“Here we have an American conversation… these pressures are coming from our history, the roles our history has assigned us, and the stereotypes that history has created to justify the roles that it has assigned us. We can think of things from a strictly colorblind frame of mind, that history is in the past… but as Faulkner famously said, the past is never dead, it’s not even past. We can feel this in a moment-to-moment way when we are interacting with each other. That history and its stereotypes and the pressures and tensions it creates can make it very difficult for us to trust each other.”

Without prior work done to build trust, Steele observes,

“…we’re left with these pressures to contend with in our efforts to relate to each other, to be part of a successfully diverse community in an institution or in a classroom. These kinds of pressures can enter the picture … a sort of tension between remembering and forgetting. ‘Do I remember how my group is seen and treated in society … and use that to interpret what’s happening to me in this immediate situation? Or do I just forget that, and trust the situation?’ That kind of tension is what I mean with the term churn.”

Churn is the worry about how one’s identity, in light of all of this context, plays out in the subjective experience of a diverse situation. To Steele, this “identity churn” is a “huge part” of the challenge of diversity, and trust is the critical issue in the functioning of our institutions.

Claude Steele Videos

The Science of Diverse Community
Claude Steele on the Challenges of Multi-Cultural Societies - #38 ...
Stereotype Threat

How do I book Claude Steele to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Claude Steele for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Claude Steele, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Claude Steele or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Claude Steele for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Claude Steele, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Claude Steele are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Claude Steele, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Claude Steele speak about?

Claude Steele is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Social Sciences, Diversity & Inclusion, Black Heritage, Creativity, Family & Parenting, Education, Addiction & Recovery, Health, Science, Relationships, Mental Health and Culture.

Where does Claude Steele travel from?

Claude Steele generally travels from Berkeley, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Claude Steele?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Claude Steele for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Claude Steele for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Claude Steele or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Claude Steele is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Social Sciences, Diversity & Inclusion and Black Heritage. The estimated speaking fee range to book Claude Steele for live events is Below $10,000, and for virtual events Below $10,000. Claude Steele generally travels from Berkeley, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Bakari Sellers, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and Clayborne Carson. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Claude Steele for an upcoming event.

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 04/11/2024.

Claude Steele Speaking Topics

  • Building trust, showing up, and creating ‘beloved communities’

    How can we build successfully diverse universities in which people feel they can contribute from the standpoint of their backgrounds and identities, and yet not be discriminated against based on those backgrounds and identities?

    Claude Steele, professor of psychology at Stanford University, shares early insights from his forthcoming book in a talk he calls “Churn: Life in the Increasingly Diverse World of Higher Education and How to Make It Work.”

    The author of Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do, Dr. Steele is renowned for his research on stereotype threat and its application to the academic performance of underrepresented students.

  • Churn and the Tension Between Remembering and Forgetting

    Dr. Steele will discuss his concept: when two people, or groups of people, each with their contingencies of identity, are attempting to communicate across differences, there is a lot going on cognitively, affectively, and emotionally in these situations.

    “Here we have an American conversation… these pressures are coming from our history, the roles our history has assigned us, and the stereotypes that history has created to justify the roles that it has assigned us. We can think of things from a strictly colorblind frame of mind, that history is in the past… but as Faulkner famously said, the past is never dead, it’s not even past. We can feel this in a moment-to-moment way when we are interacting with each other. That history and its stereotypes and the pressures and tensions it creates can make it very difficult for us to trust each other.”

    Without prior work done to build trust, Steele observes,

    “…we’re left with these pressures to contend with in our efforts to relate to each other, to be part of a successfully diverse community in an institution or in a classroom. These kinds of pressures can enter the picture … a sort of tension between remembering and forgetting. ‘Do I remember how my group is seen and treated in society … and use that to interpret what’s happening to me in this immediate situation? Or do I just forget that, and trust the situation?’ That kind of tension is what I mean with the term churn.”

    Churn is the worry about how one’s identity, in light of all of this context, plays out in the subjective experience of a diverse situation. To Steele, this “identity churn” is a “huge part” of the challenge of diversity, and trust is the critical issue in the functioning of our institutions.

Claude Steele Videos

The Science of Diverse Community
Claude Steele on the Challenges of Multi-Cultural Societies - #38 ...
Stereotype Threat
Keynote Speaker - Claude Steele, PhD, - YouTube

Claude Steele Reviews

  • Roanoke College - Sep 25 2023

  • Dr. Steele was wonderful!
    University of Detroit Mercy - Apr 16 2021

  • Mt. San Jacinto College - Oct 24 2016

  • San Diego Mesa College - Aug 26 2016

Claude Steele News

  • How do I book Claude Steele to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Claude Steele for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Claude Steele, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Claude Steele or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Claude Steele for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Claude Steele, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Claude Steele are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Claude Steele, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Claude Steele speak about?

    Claude Steele is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Social Sciences, Diversity & Inclusion, Black Heritage, Creativity, Family & Parenting, Education, Addiction & Recovery, Health, Science, Relationships, Mental Health and Culture.
  • Where does Claude Steele travel from?

    Claude Steele generally travels from Berkeley, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Claude Steele?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Claude Steele for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Claude Steele for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Claude Steele or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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