Leadership Scholar, Executive Coach and Educator

Cristina Padilla, Ph.D. is a leadership scholar, executive coach, and educator with more than 15 years of experience supporting leaders across corporate, nonprofit, and higher education contexts. Her work focuses on helping individuals develop confidence, self-awareness, and an authentic leadership voice.

Dr. Padilla serves as Chief Community Officer at Fluence, where she oversees leadership coaching and development initiatives. She is also a Faculty with the Center for Creative Leadership and teaches graduate leadership courses at National University. She has previously taught in the University of San Diego’s undergraduate Leadership Studies Minor program.

She is Co-Chair of the Leadership Committee at MANA de San Diego, a local organization empowering Latinas from the classroom to the boardroom. She is Founder of Latina Leadership Lab, an initiative advancing leadership development for Latinas. Her research explores how Latinas develop a leader identity in the United States and informs her work in culturally relevant coaching and inclusive leadership. Dr. Padilla holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego and an M.A. in Politics, Economics, and Business from Claremont Graduate University. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and is fluent in Spanish.