Speaking
“The time is right for women to take the lead and go beyond what we have imagined. Our natural strengths lend themselves to be the right leaders now and in the future.”
-Mary Key, Ph.D.
Dr. Mary Key engages audiences and offers strategies, tools and inspiring real-life stories to help you get from where you are in your career and life to where you want to be as a female leader.
In her talks and on panels, Dr. Mary Key shares best practices from her significant experience and expertise compiled in her latest book, Seizing Success: A Woman’s Guide to Transformational Leadership.
Learn to:
- Expand your support system to enhance your growth
- Increase your confidence under pressure and have a greater impact
- Focus on what’s purposeful for you while engaging others in your vision
- Build on strengths and leverage them for future success
- Expand the networks and support systems available to enhance your growth
Target audience:
- Women in leadership; high potentials; leaders who support women advancing.

Keynotes, Workshops, Webinars, & Podcasts

Seizing Success: A Woman’s Guide to Transformational Leadership.
Women still lag behind men in holding high-level leadership positions. Women bring some unique strengths to the table that can enhance and propel our careers. In this dynamic talk, Dr. Mary Key shares best practices from her significant experience as the founder of the Key Women’s Leadership Forums and expertise compiled in her latest book, Seizing Success: A Woman’s Guide to Transformational Leadership. Learn more about what makes women successful in leading and how to avoid pitfalls that can prevent you from finding the fulfillment you deserve. Women and men will find this talk helpful in overcoming bias and enhancing your leadership capabilities.

Listen to Mary on a recent podcast!
Mary has been a guest on multiple podcasts discussing topics ranging from leadership qualities favoring women to her most recent book Seizing Success: A Woman's Guide To Transformational Leadership.

Transformational Leadership: The Future for Organizations
In this dynamic keynote or workshop, Dr. Mary Key shares best practices on developing your core capabilities as a transformational leader. Transformational leaders shape the team and the organization’s culture through an inspiring vision, and by engaging those you lead in executing on that vision. To be a transformational leader you need to build a base of trust as well as hold people accountable to the organization’s values and agreed upon results. The transformational leader’s role involves communicating clear expectations, providing meaning and context for goals to be achieved and initiating ongoing coaching and development. Learn more about being a change leader and transforming in the process.

Women Are Best Suited To Be Transformational Leaders
Transformational leaders shape their organization’s culture through a compelling vision, collaboration and spearheading change. They understand their followers’ strengths, communicate clear expectations and provide ongoing coaching. Dr. Mary Key believes that women are particularly suited to become transformational leaders. In her inspiring and research-based talk, she transports audiences to a place where women can see more clearly leadership options not only available to them, but that build on their natural strengths.

Increase Your Impact: Be Strategic in How You Influence
What separates the most effective communicators from their less successful counterparts? The ability to influence others. Dr. Mary Key shares strategies on how to get others to take your lead. Through best practices and inspiring stories, she engages audiences in exploring their influencing style and how to adjust it for better results. You will walk away with actionable strategies to positively impact your ability to influence your clients, peers and direct reports, in person and virtually.

Leading Change in Times of Transition
You have a profound impact on those you lead directly and beyond. It’s not easy to model good leadership skills when you yourself are going through change and transition in your work and life. All transitions start with “an ending” and if you don’t understand the psychology of what employees are going through in transition, you can make the changes even more disruptive. In this engaging talk or webinar, you will learn ways to address change and create an environment for launching new beginnings and innovation.

Making Your Business Foolproof in a Challenging Economy
In times of crises, uncertainty and change, companies can make key breakthroughs or they can flounder and worse yet, go out of business. What’s different in times of market and economic tension is that indecisiveness is not an option. Leading in lean times requires a different focus and strategy. Dr. Mary Key will discuss what works and what doesn’t in tough times. She speaks from over 25 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and business leaders. You will get new ideas and tools on how to improve performance, benefit from uncertainty and position yourself for growth.
What Our Clients Say About Mary’s Speaking

“Mary Key is a nationally recognized and respected expert whose teachings and writings are highly in demand because she is substantive, practical, and relevant.”
— Dr. Nido Qubein, President,
High Point University, N.C.

“I heard Mary Key speak to an organization of professional women that I belong to and she was terrific! I was impressed by her understanding of leadership and her ability to break it down in relatable, practical advice.”
— Lorna Taylor, President & CEO,
Premiere Eye Care

“Your presentation was terrific! The topic was timely and relevant - spot-on perfect. Thank you for setting the stage for our M3 2022 Partners’ Conference – our clients loved it.”
—Scott Watson, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, M3

“Your ability to engage the audience caused them to look introspectively and evaluate ways to improve their ability to influence and impact. I found your presentation to our top female leaders to be thought provoking, easy to put into practice and convincing in terms of the potential to change their lives. As a female executive, I did not discover valuable resources such as you which could have assisted me greatly as I was developing and growing as a leader.”
— Barbara Smith, VP, CFO,
Gerdau Ameristeel

“Mary Key addressed our physician leaders on emotional and social intelligence and skillfully helped each confirm strengths while awakening opportunities for growth. She engaged the room and showed ways developing EI contributes to the essentials of leadership success. The room was buzzing with discovery!”
— Joe Hopkins, MD,
Sr. Medical Director for Quality,
Stanford Health Care

“Mary, you and your team did a wonderful job engaging our executive leadership team in developing our future direction as well as on how we could take our team to the next level of performance.”
— Tom White, EVP,
AAA/ACG
Download Speaker Info

Mary Key, Ph.D.
Trusted Advisor. International Consultant. Author. Executive Coach. Speaker.
She is President of Key Associates, Inc., an organizational transformation consulting firm committed to helping leaders and organizations grow.
Dr. Key has worked with Fortune 500 companies, Inc. 500 winners and government entities. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and her B.S. from the University of Massachusetts.
She is the author of several popular books including Seizing Success: A Woman’s Guide to Transformational Leadership and CEO Road Rules: Right Focus, Right People, Right Execution.