Dr. Alise Cortez
Purpose and Engagement Catalyst Inspirational Speaker
Alise Cortez and Associates is founded and led by Dr. Alise Cortez, our Chief Purpose Officer. She is also an inspirational speaker, social scientist, author, and host of the Working on Purpose radio show. Having developed her expertise within the human capital / organizational excellence industry over the last 25 years, she is focused on enabling organizations to lead from purpose and create cultures of meaning that inspire impassioned performance, meaningful engagement and fulfillment, while encouraging a devoted stay within the organization. She has helped develop and transform thousands of managers and executives in their leadership along the way.
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Alise began her human capital career in 1998 as a staffing professional at Analysts International and corporate recruitment consultant at VoiceStream/T-Mobile while simultaneously pursuing her doctorate degree in Human Development. Her experience includes HR System implementation and change management consulting at Hewitt Associates and PepsiCo, and employee engagement assessment and consulting at the Center for Talent Solutions. She co-founded and served as VP of Sales & Marketing at Improved Experience, a consulting firm that offered online feedback solutions and research for the Human Resource and Recruiting industry. Dr. Cortez served as a Consultant for Insigniam, a management consulting firm specializing in breakthrough, innovation and transformation.
She taught various Psychology courses at the University of Phoenix and Communication and Professional Seminar courses at Southern Methodist University as an Adjunct Faculty Professor. These accumulated experiences inform her practice helping companies with an array of human capital needs from recruiting, onboarding, employee training and development, change management, leadership development, and organizational transformation and now serve as foundation on the meaning and purpose focus she brings today.
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Dr. Cortez has also earned a Diplomate in Logophilosophy, which informs her approach to activating meaning in the workplace, along with the extensive Modes of Engagement meaning in work research she has conducted. Hosting the weekly Working on Purpose radio show affords her a catalyzing platform to continue advancing her insights and methods to develop impassioned cultures of excellence and create inspirational leaders, as she hosts some of the best business and cultural minds known.
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After completing a Bachelors in Liberal Studies and a Masters in Liberal Studies (focusing on International Relations with South America), Alise earned a PhD in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University. Fascinated with how people choose and experience their work, her research and dissertation illuminated a fresh perspective on meaning in work and its relationship to personal identity. In large post-doctoral research investigating meaning and work and identity qualitatively interviewing 115 men and women aged 18 to 80 from 20 industries, she built on this doctoral research and discovered 15 “Modes of Engagement” that help individuals understand their unique relationship to their work.
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Dr. Cortez’s work is informed by an education grounded in Humanistic/Positivist psychology and Existential Psychology’s Logotherapy. Alise has lived in Spain and Brazil, and traveled extensively across Western Europe, South America, and parts of Asia and Oceania. She is conversationally comfortable in Spanish and Portuguese and has some language ability in French and Italian. Alise has served on the following Boards in Dallas: Conscious Capitalism (Membership), Namaste Direct, YMCA at White Rock (past Chairman of the Board), Lakewood Service League (past President and fundraising Event Chair), Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation (past Needs Assessment Chair), Dallas Staffing Association (past VP of Professional Development and Diversity), and the Dallas Running Club (past Co-Race Director).
Certifications and Affiliations
Our Clients Say
"I have worked with Alise Cortez for two years on our Women in Leadership Forum – a networking event focused on addressing issues facing women in Pharma. Alise has been an absolute pleasure to work with on this project; her friendly and professional manner instantly engages attendees and puts the room at ease. A skilled moderator, Alise worked extensively with our panelists pre-event to ensure everyone felt comfortable with the agenda points and led the discussion seamlessly on the day of the event – not an easy task! It’s a privilege to work with Alise and I very much looking forward to our continued collaboration."
Tara Dougal
Head of Content, UBM