About Janis

Janis Bragan Balda , PhD, is a principal at the Max De Pree Center for Leadership. An attorney, educator, and researcher, she has traveled extensively and worked on projects and issues in many areas of the world, including India, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mexico, the U.K. and Brazil. She loves interacting with people of different cultures and is always seeking to absorb knowledge and experiences relating to new fields and to expand her areas of expertise. A current research project involves a look at justice, seeking to understand how evil affects one’s personal and spiritual perception.

Janis has taught management, international business, international law, ethics and business law, and nonprofit leadership, and particularly enjoys bridging theory and practice across disciplines. Understanding that many significant legal issues arise from poor management practices, she enjoyed working with Peter Drucker on his archives and attempts to implement his prominent theme:  focus on making strengths productive and weaknesses irrelevant.

What she lacks by being considered “height challenged” by her closest friends and family, she makes up for with her intensity. Living between Southern California and Portland, Oregon, Janis loves exploring the parks and trails in both locales, finding beauty and interest in the varied settings.