I received my Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Human Development and Psychology with a focus on leadership in 2005. My coursework included work in developmental psychology at the School of Education and extensive work in the adaptive leadership model, developed by Ronald Heifetz at the Kennedy School of Government. My dissertation explored dynamics of systemic racism and large-scale social change. That work became my first book, Race and Social Change: A Quest, A Study, A Call to Action, published by Wiley in 2017. For an overview of that work, check out my TEDx Talk, delivered at TEDx HGSE in 2011.

After completing my doctorate, I landed at City Year, an education-focused AmeriCorps program that engages young adults (ages 18-24) in a year of full-time service focused on keeping students in high-need schools in school and on track to graduate. The program is headquartered in Boston with sites in 29 cities across the U.S. Over the course of my ten years, I rose to the level of Vice President of Leadership Development. I learned a great deal about how to operate effectively in a large, high-performing organization.

In 2016, was recruited to become the Chief Program Officer at the New Politics Leadership Academy, an organization dedicated to recruiting and developing servant leaders (military vets and alumni of national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps) to run for political office. I was Employee #1 at this innovative start-up, and have played an integral role in stewarding the organization from its earliest days to its current size of 17 employees. As part of my role at NPLA I’ve had the privilege of coaching remarkable servant leaders running for office at every level from school board to Congress.

Music and art have been hobbies of mine since childhood; I share this dimension of my life here because I find myself drawing on this creative aspect of my life frequently in my coaching work with clients. I’ve played saxophone and guitar for years, and currently front my own folk rock band. The Max Klau Band plays mostly original music and has been performing in and around Boston since 2007; we released a full-length album of original music in 2009. I’m also a visual artist, working mostly with acrylic paints.

For decades, I’ve been a seeker. Over the years, I’ve been blessed to have had some remarkable opportunities to explore spiritual life. In addition to a lifelong engagement with my own faith of Judaism, I’ve had chances to spend a week in silent meditation with the Brahma Kumaris, had a meaningful encounter with an Indian Sadhu (holy man) in the holy city of Varanassi, and have been able to visit Bodh Gaya, India and sit under the Bodhi Tree, the sacred spot where the Buddha found enlightenment. Along the way, I’ve taken deep dives into the writings of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Pema Chodron, James Hillman and other spiritual teachers. All of this seeking informs my coaching and my ability to guide individuals through journeys of transformation in powerful ways.