Dick Axelrod co founded The Axelrod Group, Inc., a consulting firm that pioneered the use of employee involvement to effect large-scale organizational change. He now brings more than thirty-five years of consulting and teaching experience to this work, with clients including Boeing, Coca-Cola, Harley Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Kaiser Permanente and the National Health Service in the UK. Dick is faculty the University of Chicago's Masters in Threat and Response Management Program, and American University’s Masters in Organization Development Program. He recently received The Excellence in Teaching Award, from the University of Chicago. Dick authored Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations, and co-authored You Don't Have to Do It Alone: How to Involve Others to Get Things Done, which the New York Times called "the best of the current crop of books on this subject." His forthcoming book is Let’s Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done will be available in August 2014. Raised in Chicago, he now resides in Wilmette, Illinois with his wife Emily. They are the proud parents of Heather and David and doting grandparents of Zach and Andy. Dick is a long-suffering Chicago Cub's fan.

Emily Axelrod believes in stretching organizations so they can unleash their creativity and knowledge. She believes that honesty, relationships, communication and engagement are key factors in change.Emily is co-founder of and principal in the Axelrod Group, Inc., created with her husband, Dick.

For more than thirty years, Emily has used strategic visioning, work redesign, team development, and good old common sense to build sustainable, fun, and dignified enterprises. Her clients include: Barrington 220 School District, Boeing, British Airways, Calgary Health Authority, CAPE, First Union Bank, HSB, Intel, the Parliament of World Religions, and ThyssenKrupp AG, to name a few.

Emily uses her southern spirit and wit as a highly sought-after speaker and coach. She has presented to a variety of organizations, including the Organization Development Network, American Management Association, The Human Resources Planning Society, and The London Strategic Planning Society. She is also a guest lecturer at Benedictine University and the University of Chicago's Leadership Arts Program.

Emily co-authored You Don’t Have to Do It Alone, which the New York Times called, “The best of the current crop of books on this subject.” She is a contributing author to The Change Handbook, The Flawless Consulting Field Book, Future Search in School District Change, and numerous articles.

Her most recent publication is "Let's Stop Meeting Like This," co-authored by husband Dick. Using the same principles that make video games so engaging and that transformed the numbing assembly line into the dynamic shop floor, the Axelrods outline a flexible and adaptable system used to run truly productive meetings in all kinds of organizations.

Emily holds an MA in education from the University of North Carolina and a Masters in Social Work from Loyola University. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Dick. They have two children and two grandchildren.