Colleen Tolan, PhD currently serves as the research associate for the Center for Women in Business at Rutgers Business School. She holds a PhD in conflict communication from the Klein School of Media & Communication at Temple University and has published academic papers on the topics of negotiation, conflict communication, and theory building. Her main areas of research include interpersonal communication, language framing, and decision-making as they relate to stressful situations.

Dr. Tolan is passionate about using research-based interventions and tools to help others navigate conflict and negotiate effectively. While completing her doctorate, she taught courses at Temple University and worked on multiple grants including ACR JAMS and DOJ, STOP School Violence both of which focused on systems-involved youth to develop their conflict skills in an effort towards reducing youth violence. In her consulting work, she treats every case as unique and aims to help clients clarify specific dynamics that may be keeping them from a more effective workplace or relationship.

Dr. Tolan holds an MDiv from Princeton Seminary and a B.S. in Journalism and Sociology from University of Kansas – and is an avid Jayhawks basketball fan. She is a Chicago native but currently resides in Philadelphia.