Dr. Steve Yacovelli

Owner & Principal TopDog Learning Group, LLC

Dr. Steve Yacovelli (a.k.a. “The Gay Leadership Dude®”) is Owner & Principal of TopDog Learning Group, LLC, a leadership, change management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Orlando, Florida, USA but with affiliates (“TopDoggers”) throughout the globe.

Steve and TopDog provide guidance and solutions in leadership
and organizational development, change management, diversity
and inclusion consulting, instructional design, and custom e-learning creation. Whether it be through providing keynotes and facilitating leadership development programs for Fortune 500 companies like The Walt Disney Company, Bayer AG, or accenture, to providing one-on-one coaching experiences for groups like IBM, Covestro, and The Public Library Association, or creating engaging, effective training solutions for various delivery formats for folks like Tupperware Brands Corporation, The Ohio State University, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Steve is passionate about helping others be their best selves, in and out of the workplace.

Steve holds a B.S. in Public Relations from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Educational Policy & Leadership Development from The Ohio State University, and an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology & Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University. A published author, Steve has written books and articles on a variety of topics: from how adults learn and communicate using technology to how to design effective training solutions for the modern, adult learner in the 21st century workplace to the impact of unconscious bias within organizations and how it can undermine organizational effectiveness. His current, award-winning and critically acclaimed book, “Pride Leadership: Strategies for LGBTQ+ Professionals to be the King or Queen of their Jungle” “came out” in June 2019, and his next book, “Your Queer Career®: Workplace Advice from ‘The Gay Leadership Dude®’” comes into the world in early 2024.

Steve is passionate about workplace equality, and specifically how leaders can be more “consciously inclusive” to foster a feeling of inclusion and belonging for all team members. His signature keynote, “Being a Consciously Inclusive Leader,” has won praise for its engaging, approachable, and memorable way to think about unconscious bias in the workplace.

But don't think he’s just an academic nerd: Steve is a rare breed of professional that understands the power of using academic theory, his experience in a variety of public and private settings and applying this knowledge to the client’s workplace to achieve better results. (Oh, and he’s pretty good with dogs, too!). steve@topdoglearning.biz .