Creating Whole Systems For a Whole World

Dr. Leslie A. Saulsberry graduated from the College of Education with her Ed.D. in May of 2016 where she studied at the Center for International Education. During her time at UMass, she focused on global systems theory and international policy. Her studies allowed her to “marry practice and theory” which increased her commitment to her craft and its implementation. Dr. Saulsberry’s passion for systems theory came from her interest and curiosity in finding out how the world works. From a young age, she was very observant of her surroundings both social and physical. As she gained more experience in the world through her time at Columbia, Rutgers, Bennett, and The Peace Corps she began devoting herself to further understanding the systems that the world runs on and improving them to the best of her ability. For that reason, her main point of study was on systems in international policy and how they can healthfully or negatively impact those who are subject to them. When she arrived at the UMass College of Education she was able to take what she learned from her previous experience in terms of international policy and apply it to systems in other areas such as public health, community development, and organizational development.

Armed with the knowledge of transferring systems to various environments she took her experience and applied it to her position at the Town of Amherst. While working at town hall she set her sights on community development to focus on how the town was engaging with people of various ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and social identities. Her goal was to analyze that engagement and implement systems to improve upon it. This meant taking on tasks such as working on making communications from the town more accessible to international communities through means such as translation of key information in addition to updating town policies to make them more accommodating for the ever-changing demographic of the town. In all of these ways, her time at Umass allowed her to, “take the nuances (of her studies) and then disperse them” in ways that were fitting for her evolving skillset. She used her degree to look at systems from various perspectives and angles to better adapt them to cater to the affected environment.

Once she graduated, Dr. Saulsberry formed her own company called Whole Institute with her mission being to create Whole Women, Whole Leaders, Whole Systems, and by extension a Whole World. She currently uses her professional experience to work with individuals, leaders, and organizations around the world to create healthy systems. One way she does this on an institutional level is by conducting an organizational audit. This involves looking at employee job descriptions to see what they’re responsible for, interviewing them to see if their current workload falls in line with the description, and finally speaking with the team to recommend necessary changes to organizational workload and responsibility based on her findings. In this regard, the goal of her analysis is to ensure employees aren’t taking on any extra tasks that they aren’t capable of, allowing them to be more effective and productive members of any team.

This is just one of the many ways Dr. Saulsberry chooses to use her passion for systems to improve organizational work structures. Another example of her work involves analyzing and improving cultural awareness and emotional intelligence in individuals. She believes that by working on these two aspects of work culture, her clients will conduct business with a much more open mind allowing them to take advantage of a wider variety of business opportunities. This leads to more interactions concluding with all parties being satisfied rather than one party trying to put their ideals and needs above the rest.

Today, after decades of work in the industry, Dr. Saulsberry is satisfied with the contributions she’s made in her field and is looking forward to other ventures in her future. This includes continuing to expand the scope of Whole Institute with endeavors such as national and international conferences, body care products, consulting, and more.