Joan Steinau Lester, a founder of The Equity Institute and its successor The Equity Consulting Group, is the award-winning author of five critically praised books. Her work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Essence, Common Dreams, Huffington Post, and the Alaska Quarterly Review. Dr. Lester has been regularly featured on National Public Radio and Public Radio International. She won the NLGJA Seigenthaler Award for NPR commentary, an Arts & Letters Creative Nonfiction Finalist Award, and a Bellwether Prize Finalist Award.