Trust AAE Speakers Bureau for Booking Top Professional Speakers. Find a Keynote Speaker Today.
Trust AAE Speakers Bureau for Booking Top Professional Speakers. Find a Keynote Speaker Today.
Kenji Yoshino

Kenji Yoshino

Keynote Speaker: Professor at NYU School of Law & Author; Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Kenji Yoshino Biography

Kenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and the Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. A graduate of Harvard (AB summa cum laude), Oxford (MSc as a Rhodes Scholar) and Yale (JD), he specializes in constitutional law, antidiscrimination law, and law and literature. He received tenure at Yale Law School, where he served as Deputy Dean before moving to NYU.

Yoshino has published in major academic journals, including the Harvard Law Review, the Stanford Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal. He has also written for more popular forums, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Yoshino is the author of three books. His fourth book (co-authored with David Glasgow), "Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice," was published by Simon and Schuster in February 2023.

Yoshino has served as the President of the Harvard Board of Overseers. He currently serves on the Oversight Board for Meta, the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice, on advisory boards for diversity and inclusion for Morgan Stanley and Charter Communications, and on the board of his children’s school. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship, including the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, the Peck medal in jurisprudence, and the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

He lives in Manhattan with his husband, two children, and a Great Dane.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Kenji Yoshino and other top speakers and celebrities.

Kenji Yoshino Speaking Topics

Say the Right Thing: How to Talk about Identity, Diversity, and Justice

Kenji can speak about any of the seven principles outlined in the book, or any combination of them: (1) How to escape common conversational traps; (2) How to build resilience; (3) How to cultivate curiosity; (4) How to engage in respectful disagreement; (5) How to apologize authentically; (6) How to support people who are affected by bias as they wished to be helped (as opposed to how you assume they wish to be helped); and (7) How to support people who engage in non-inclusive behavior by helping them grow past their mistakes.

Uncovering Your Authentic Self at Work

Becoming an Ally to All

This talk was developed from a collaboration with Microsoft. It begins by looking at why people are rarely effective allies—noting that people often find themselves either remaining silent out of fear or barreling in uninformed. It then describes a three-stage model of allyship—from “Ally to One” through “Ally to Some” to “Ally to All.” To help people get to “Ally to All,” Kenji introduces the tool of the “empathy triangle,” which looks at the questions each ally should ask of the three parties in an allyship situation (the ally herself, the affected person, and the source of non-inclusive behavior). Among these questions are: “Am I informed enough to act?” “Am I helping the affected party as she wishes to be helped?” and “Am I separating the source’s behavior from her identity?”

Communicating with Agility

This talk is based on a forthcoming book (to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2022 and co-authored with David Glasgow). It explores how to engage in difficult conversations about identity in the workplace. The talk focuses on improving the conversational behavior of the more privileged parties in identity conversations, based on the understanding that they have greater power to change the dynamics of the conversation. It explores four bad behaviors in identity conversations (avoid, deflect, deny, and attack), the reasons why we engage in such behaviors, and how to fix those mistakes by adopting three “postures” in conversation: challenge-seeking, curious, and collaborative. The talk also examines how to give an effective apology and how to disagree respectfully in identity conversations.

Uncovering Talent: A New Model for Corporate Inclusion

Based on Kenji Yoshino’s book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights, this talk examines the phenomenon of “covering”—a strategy through which individuals downplay a known stigmatized identity to blend in at work. The talk explains through both quantitative data and qualitative data that such covering occurs across all groups (with even 45 percent of straight white men reporting that they cover), and that covering is harmful to both individuals and organizations. It then explores solutions about how individuals can bring more of their authentic selves to the workplace.

Kenji Yoshino Videos

Uncovering Talent: The Power of Authenticity | Kenji Yoshino | TEDx
NYU Critical Intersections: The Law, Rights, and Identities
2018 Pomona College Commencement - Commencement Speaker: Kenji Yoshino

How do I book Kenji Yoshino to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Kenji Yoshino 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 Kenji Yoshino, 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 Kenji Yoshino or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Kenji Yoshino for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Kenji Yoshino, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Kenji Yoshino are $50,000 - $100,000 for live events and $20,000 - $30,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Kenji Yoshino, 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 Kenji Yoshino speak about?

Kenji Yoshino is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Inspirational, Futurism, Political, Social Justice, Literary, Government, Professors, Diversity, Authors, Asian Heritage, LGBTQ, DEI and Social Activism.

Where does Kenji Yoshino travel from?

Kenji Yoshino generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Kenji Yoshino?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Kenji Yoshino 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 Kenji Yoshino 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 Kenji Yoshino 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.


Kenji Yoshino is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Inspirational, Futurism and Political. The estimated speaking fee range to book Kenji Yoshino for live events is $50,000 - $100,000, and for virtual events $20,000 - $30,000. Kenji Yoshino generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Lily Zheng, Lydia X. Z. Brown and Michelle MiJung Kim. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Kenji Yoshino for an upcoming event.

Kenji Yoshino Speaking Topics

  • Say the Right Thing: How to Talk about Identity, Diversity, and Justice

    Kenji can speak about any of the seven principles outlined in the book, or any combination of them: (1) How to escape common conversational traps; (2) How to build resilience; (3) How to cultivate curiosity; (4) How to engage in respectful disagreement; (5) How to apologize authentically; (6) How to support people who are affected by bias as they wished to be helped (as opposed to how you assume they wish to be helped); and (7) How to support people who engage in non-inclusive behavior by helping them grow past their mistakes.

  • Uncovering Your Authentic Self at Work

  • Becoming an Ally to All

    This talk was developed from a collaboration with Microsoft. It begins by looking at why people are rarely effective allies—noting that people often find themselves either remaining silent out of fear or barreling in uninformed. It then describes a three-stage model of allyship—from “Ally to One” through “Ally to Some” to “Ally to All.” To help people get to “Ally to All,” Kenji introduces the tool of the “empathy triangle,” which looks at the questions each ally should ask of the three parties in an allyship situation (the ally herself, the affected person, and the source of non-inclusive behavior). Among these questions are: “Am I informed enough to act?” “Am I helping the affected party as she wishes to be helped?” and “Am I separating the source’s behavior from her identity?”

  • Communicating with Agility

    This talk is based on a forthcoming book (to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2022 and co-authored with David Glasgow). It explores how to engage in difficult conversations about identity in the workplace. The talk focuses on improving the conversational behavior of the more privileged parties in identity conversations, based on the understanding that they have greater power to change the dynamics of the conversation. It explores four bad behaviors in identity conversations (avoid, deflect, deny, and attack), the reasons why we engage in such behaviors, and how to fix those mistakes by adopting three “postures” in conversation: challenge-seeking, curious, and collaborative. The talk also examines how to give an effective apology and how to disagree respectfully in identity conversations.

  • Uncovering Talent: A New Model for Corporate Inclusion

    Based on Kenji Yoshino’s book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights, this talk examines the phenomenon of “covering”—a strategy through which individuals downplay a known stigmatized identity to blend in at work. The talk explains through both quantitative data and qualitative data that such covering occurs across all groups (with even 45 percent of straight white men reporting that they cover), and that covering is harmful to both individuals and organizations. It then explores solutions about how individuals can bring more of their authentic selves to the workplace.

Kenji Yoshino Videos

Uncovering Talent: The Power of Authenticity | Kenji Yoshino | TEDx
NYU Critical Intersections: The Law, Rights, and Identities
2018 Pomona College Commencement - Commencement Speaker: Kenji Yoshino
Chris Hayes and Kenji Yoshino discuss American criminal justice and race
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in conversation with Kenji Yoshino

Kenji Yoshino Reviews

  • Kenji was absolutely incredible - I do believe this was the best lecture I have ever been privileged to attend! He was so thoughtful and so very generous with his time.
    The Spence School - Jan 19 2024

  • Kenji was fabulous! We had great attendance, have heard buzz all around the firm since the session and will be placing another order for books so everyone who attended at the firm can get a copy.
    Crowell & Moring LLP - Mar 02 2023

  • Comcast - May 31 2022

  • Crowell & Moring LLP - May 03 2022

BOOKING INFORMATION REQUEST
KENJI YOSHINO

We are happy to assist you with your interest in booking a speaker or celebrity for your event, your organization, and the type of talent you would like to secure, and an agent will be in touch shortly.

Fill out the form below to or call us at 1-800-698-2536 if need immediate assistance.

Tell us about your event!

We respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. Under special circumstances, it may take up to 24 hours.


This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.