Cindu Thomas-George is an inclusion and belonging practitioner specializing in inclusive leadership and workplace communication with over 20 years of experience helping organizations drive transformational culture change and organizational effectiveness, especially during moments of change, conflict, and complexity.

As the Founder and Principal Trainer of Shakti Training, she specializes in designing and leading actionable professional development experiences that foster inclusion, communication competence, intercultural intelligence, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness. Her approach blends evidence-based theory with real-world application, helping leaders and employees at all levels of the organization communicate in ways that drive results while honoring dignity and belonging. Over the course of more than two decades, she has developed a mastery of creating and facilitating learning experiences that empower individuals to become agents of change and catalysts of inclusion.

Cindu is also an award-winning, tenured Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the College of Lake County (CLC), where she specializes in intercultural communication, public speaking, and online learning. Recognized with the 2017 NISOD Teaching Excellence Award, she is a nationally respected educator who has presented at numerous academic conferences throughout the last two decades. She has taught and coached leaders through Northwestern University’s Kellogg School for Nonprofit Management on the topic of inclusive leadership and is a recognized speaker and member of the  Comadres Speakers Collaborative, known for her ability to bridge research, storytelling, and practical application. Cindu is also a contributing author to Reworked, a leading digital publication covering the evolution of work, employee experience, and the digital workplace.

Cindu began her career as an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco. She holds an M.A. in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University, where she learned the art of teaching, public speaking, and the importance and relevance that inclusion and intercultural intelligence have in our world. It was her own lived experiences as the daughter of Indian immigrants and navigating her career in higher education as a first-generation college student and woman of color that drew her to a career committed to driving inclusion forward.

Cindu’s commitment to inclusion and advancing racial and gender equality is also reflected in the organizations and communities she has chosen to build and serve. . Cindu is a co-founder and President of the Chicago Women’s Leadership Accelerator, and the founder of both the South Asian Solidarity Movement and the Women of Color Employee Resource Group at the College of Lake County. 

Across all of her work, one thread remains constant: the intersection of inclusion and education. Cindu is passionate about developing catalysts of inclusion and agents of change by helping people understand that inclusion is not simply something we value. It is intentional, actionable, and a skill that can be developed.

Cindu resides in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood with her husband and children.

To learn more about Cindu, please visit www.cinduthomasgeorge.com