Chris Esparza

VP of Leadership and Culture

(He/Him)

cesparza@koppett.com

Chris joins Koppett as the VP of Leadership & Culture. Originally from Los Angeles, California—Chris now resides in New Orleans, LA.  He spent twenty years in higher education, culminating in his most recent role as Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Leadership Development at the University of Oregon School of Law.  Throughout his higher ed journey, he found the most joy in curating learning and growth experiences for others—that is teaching, facilitating, and coaching.  In addition, he brings to Koppett expertise in leadership development, DEI and cultural competency, change management, and strategic planning. 

Chris received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stanford University, and his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara. Chris first learned the art of improvisation in high school, but really began to dig into its leadership and life applications in college. He found multiple ways to weave these same principles into his experience in counseling psychology, facilitation work, equity and inclusion, and leadership education.  Grounding his enthusiasm for teaching and facilitation, Chris draws life-giving energy from the conversations and stories that highlight ways we each can contribute to co-creating a better world together.

Outside of his professional roles, one of Chris’s unexpected and prolific hobbies has been running. Over the last 20 years he has completed 12 marathons, 25 half marathons, and 2 ultra-marathons. In fact, he ran one of those marathons in a full-body banana suit and ran another while pushing an extra-large speaker in a baby stroller! Oh—and there’s also that time he performed as a dancing camel down Disneyland’s Main Street.  All that is to say, no matter the context, occasion, or race distance… Chris is constantly striving to embody one of his core values: Play.  In fact, his pie-in-the-sky vision is a world that plays well together—learning and growing together in ways that invite laughter, curiosity, growth, synergy, and positive change