Gladys Gossett Hankins, Ph.D. lives her life by two guiding principles:

• Anything worth doing is worth doing well, and
• Anyone who has an audience has a responsibility to teach.

Dr. Hankins joined the Union Institute and University Board of Trustees in 2001.  A UI&U doctoral alumna, she is an internationally-recognized diversity and organizational effectiveness consultant and currently serves as the president of Telora Victor, Inc. a consulting and publishing company she founded in 2000.

Prior to forming her own business, Hankins had a management career with the Procter & Gamble Company from 1975 until 2001, serving in various capacities at P&G locations in Kansas City, Kansas, Baltimore, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio beginning with employee services manager.  Ensuing roles included human resource manager, senior organizational effectiveness manager, and senior manager of supplier diversity.

In addition to her work with P&G, since 1980, Hankins has engaged in training and consulting work in organizational effectiveness and managing diversity for several public and private organizations including New England Bell Telephone Company; New Jersey Bell Telephone Company; the University of Chicago; The Kroger Company, The University of Cincinnati; and The Greater Cincinnati Urban League.  Her consulting work has taken her across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

From 1981 until 1985, Hankins served as an adjunct professor of personnel management at Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri, where she also conducted an American Management Associates Seminar entitled “How Successful Women Manage”

Hankins is the recipient of several awards and recognitions including the Wall Street Journal Award, and was honored as a “Black Achiever” by YMCA of Cincinnati. In addition, she was awarded the key to the City of Kansas City, Missouri, for her civic contributions. Throughout her career, Hankins has served on several boards and committees. Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees for Hospice of Cincinnati where she chairs the diversity committee, and The Christ Hospital Institutional Review Board.

The author of non-fiction and fiction, her published works include Diversity Blues and How to Shake ‘em, (2000), By Any Other Name (2004), A Twisy Girls Mystery (2010), and The Midwife Factor (2014.)  Hankins earned her Ph.D. from Union in 1994. She also holds M.B.A. and B.S. /B.A. degrees from Rockhurst College.