Dr. Robert Cialdini and Bobette Gorden

The Cialdini Fellowships are made possible by a generous gift to UWM from Dr. Robert Cialdini ’67 and Bobette Gorden. An internationally recognized social psychologist, Dr. Cialdini is a Milwaukee native and an alumnus of the Department of Psychology who received UWM’s Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Dr. Cialdini is a renowned author and expert who has been cited in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and other outlets for his scientific research on influence, or "what leads people to say “yes” to requests." His books, Influence and Per-Suasion, have sold more than 5 million copies in 41 different languages. Other books include Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive and Influence – Science and Practice, written in the style of a graphic comic book. His style is that of a story-telling, making him a sought after speaker for his ability to translate science into valuable and practical actions for the workplace and any other environment involving groups of people.

He is Regent’s Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and, in addition to this bachelor’s degree from UWM, holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina. He did his post doctoral training at Columbia University. Dr. Cialdini has held visiting scholar appointments at Ohio State University, the University of California, the Annenberg School of Communication, and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Dr. Cialdini is currently the president and CEO of Influence at Work, a consulting company dedicated to ethical influence training, corporate keynote programs, and the Cialdini Method Certified Trainer program. His clients include Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Prudential, The Weather Channel, and Harvard University.

He and his wife, Bobette Gorden, make their home in Tempe, Arizona.