For nearly three decades, Carol Ann Langford, MFA, PCC, has solidified and continues to sharpen her expertise in executive coaching – nurturing senior business leaders and their organizations across the technology, consulting, banking, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit sectors. Today, Ms. Langford thrives in her multiple roles as a coach with Positive Intelligence, the founder and chief executive officer of Langford Leadership, and a certified consultant at NeuroChangeSolutions. She is known for receiving client evaluations that praise her ability to transform challenges into opportunities for growth.
At Positive Intelligence, Ms. Langford coaches by incorporating communication strategies, influence techniques, conflict transformation, and neuroscience management to enhance client performance. Moreover, with Langford Leadership, she broadened her offerings as a coach and facilitator, focusing on cultivating human potential and teaching clients how to thrive in environments that prioritize safety and a positive future. Her approach is rooted in the belief that soft skills in management, effective communication, and an understanding of neuroscience are essential for high performance. Further, in her consulting work with NeuroChangeSolutions, she applies neuroscience-based methodologies to help individuals and teams achieve sustainable change.
The professional journey Ms. Langford has forged includes her continuing tenure since 2007 as a professional certified coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation. She also has been a senior consultant and coach at Korn Ferry International since 1998, having worked with Fortune 1 to 500 companies worldwide, gained extensive access to senior leaders, and shaped organizational development strategies. Her commitment to leadership development extends even farther to another current role as executive director of the Sutherland Family Foundation since 2001. In this position, Ms. Langford determined which nonprofit organizations would receive funding from the foundation established by her brother after the sale of their family business in 2000. She conducted research to identify organizations focused on peacebuilding, environmental sustainability, and advocacy for marginalized populations worldwide. This work led her to collaborate with Search for Common Ground, traveling with the group to Sierra Leone in 2005 at the end of the civil war with Liberia. There, she witnessed firsthand the transformational impact of peacebuilding principles that empower local communities through dialogue and storytelling.
Ms. Langford’s prowess has additionally been reflected in her service as a leadership council member at Convergence and her participation in the values and leadership roundtable at Intersections International. She was also a senior facilitator and coach at Global Novations and a certified integral coach with New Ventures West. Earlier in her career, she was an assistant professor at The City University of New York, also known as CUNY, where she taught a diverse student population and honed her skills as an educator. Previously, at age 22, she co-founded Wheel Works with her brother, playing a pivotal role in establishing the company’s vision and values while fostering positive relationships among customers and employees. Under the siblings’ leadership, Wheel Works expanded to 23 locations throughout the Bay Area before being acquired by Bridgestone Firestone in 2000.
Recognized for her many significant professional and creative contributions, Ms. Langford has been featured twice in USA Today as well as in Benzinga and Business Insider. Her book “The Speed of Passion: How Relationship-Based Leadership Drives Innovation” became a 5-star bestseller on Amazon. Ms. Langford’s work has been recognized with other honors, such as being listed among Influential Women of the World from 2017 to 2018 and receiving the Book Excellence Award. Her more recent creative output includes contributing a chapter titled “Cracking the Rich Code,” endorsed by Tony Robbins in 2025.
Academically, Ms. Langford holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA)in theatre arts from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in English from James Madison University. Complementing her education, she has earned numerous certifications, including consultant training with The CreatingWE Institute, certified consultant with NeuroChangeSolutions, conflict transformation facilitation through Search for Common Ground, mediation and conflict transformation from Baltimore Mediation, ordained minister credentials from New York State, and certification with Conversational Intelligence in addition to her aforementioned PCC from the International Coaching Federation and certified facilitator credential with Positive Intelligence.
Guided by faith—her central motivating force–Ms. Langford’s life is enriched by spiritual exploration across traditions while remaining rooted in Christianity. She believes that even life’s greatest wounds can become gifts when approached with intention, vision, prayer, and inspired authority. She credits her success, in part, to her optimism and passion for humanity, which carry over into her extensive civic involvement. Since 2010, she has served as a board member for Developing Radio Partners and participated in The Stewardship Circle of The Pachamama Alliance, on the board of governors for Opportunity International from 2006 to 2024, and as a Madison Avenue council member for Collegiate Corporation from 2008 to 2011, along with personal development initiatives. In her personal time, Ms. Langford finds inspiration at film screenings, plays, museums, and by following thought leaders who address contemporary issues. She enjoys engaging in political conversations and continually seeks new learning opportunities.
Moving forward, Ms. Langford seeks to become a keynote speaker, employing an interactive style that deeply engages audiences, helping them to clarify their identities as leaders while inspiring transformation within organizations and across various sectors. Her vision is to create environments where conflict can turn into collaboration, enabling individuals to co-create innovative solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.