Welcome to the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative

A crisis leadership training and research program

The NPLI at Harvard prepares leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to handle crisis and significant change. Participants in our programs are leaders responsible for safety and security, business continuity, and disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

The NPLI Leadership Difference ⇒

The foundation of our teaching is the Meta-Leadership framework and practice method. It combines conceptual rigor with pragmatic insights developed through faculty field research on events including: Hurricane Katrina; Boston Marathon bombings; infectious disease outbreaks, and more. Meta-leadership integrates applied neuroscience, game theory, psychology, group dynamics, and more into practical tools and techniques to improve leader effectiveness.

Dr. Leonard J. Marcus, Dr. Barry Dorn, Joseph Henderson, and Eric J. McNulty are among the NPLI faculty who have been at the forefront of developing the Meta-Leadership framework and practice method.

Featured Research

Aviation Public Health Initiative

APHI is studying current aircraft, airline, and airport practices and their impact on public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team of environmental, infectious disease and social scientists assembled by the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative is reviewing current research as well as analyses conducted by the industry. The findings will report on strategies and tactics to reduce risks of disease transmission during air travel.

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Phase II: Boston, MA (February 11, 2021) – Researchers with the Aviation Public Health Initiative (APHI), a project of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, today released its Phase Two Report “Assessment of Risks of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission during Air Travel and Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to Reduce Risk.”

https://npli.sph.harvard.edu/resources-2/aviation-public-health-initiative-aphi/

Podcast

Leader ReadyCast is hosted by the NPLI’s Associate Director, Eric McNulty and introduces valuable insights from vanguard leaders and NPLI faculty members.

Episode 33:  Chloe Demrovsky, President and CEO of Disaster Recovery Institute. DRI is the oldest and largest nonprofit that helps organizations around the world prepare for and recover from disasters by providing education, accreditation, and thought leadership in business continuity, disaster recovery, cyber resilience and related fields. We discuss what happened in 2020 and what we can look forward to in 2021.

A Leadership Book Everyone Should Read…

You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When it Matters Most

Today, in an instant, leaders can find themselves face-to-face with crisis. A pandemic. An active shooter. A media controversy. A cyber-attack. A product failure. In You’re It, the faculty of the NPLI take you to the front lines of some of the toughest decisions facing leaders–from how to mobilize during a hurricane or in the aftermath of a bombing to halting a raging wildfire. They also take readers through the tough decision-making inside the world’s largest companies, hottest startups, and leading nonprofits.

Order Your Copy Today!

Leadership Training Programs

Build critical skills at our leadership training programs, workshops, and seminars. During the pandemic, come learn at Harvard virtually.

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Authentic Leadership

Engaging sessions in self-discovery led by Dana Born, retired Brigadier General USAF and Lecturer in Public Policy at HKS Center for Public Leadership.

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Join us on LinkedIn

Follow us for leadership tips, faculty interviews and seminars, and more.

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Benefits of NPLI's Online Leadership Courses

Myra M. Shird, PhD, NPLI Alum provides her perspective on our programs.

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News and Events

For information on alumni projects, faculty interviews, and latest happenings.

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Yes, I'd Like To Request an Online Training

NPLI faculty are available for 60, 90, or 120 minute segments

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