Lucia Kanter St. Amour

Under the Sisterhood

UTS is a social impact company that addresses the critical gaps in women’s health education, diagnosis, and treatment. As CLO, I'm responsible for: legal guidance on general business operations, partnerships, and organizational practices; contract review and negotiation with vendors and partners; policy development ensuring legal, ethical, and privacy compliance; risk awareness and mitigation; recommending practical strategies that project the organization’s integrity and vision; addressing potential legal issues related to employment and board members; liaising and supervising outside counsel; partnering with cross-functional teams to effectively communicate the organization’s mission, support its programs, and amplify its social justice initiatives.

Chief Legal Officer

Pactum Factum

Chief Legal/Negotiation Officer for various corporations, NCAA athletes, and organizations; U.S. mediation liaison to Supreme Court of India 2022-2023; have mediated/negotiated 1000+ cases; host of "Forces of Good" podcast. Seasoned employment law and negotiation expert. Pactum Factum Press publishing.

Attorney | CLO | Publisher

UN Women

VP, San Francisco  - the birthplace of the United Nations in 1945. UN Women USA is the official, membership-based non-profit organization that raises funds and awareness for UN Women, the United Nations agency that advances gender equality and female empowerment globally.  Events and projects include: Cities for CEDAW a nationwide, grassroots effort to encourage local governments to become more gender equitable; EVAW - an effort to End Violence Against Women; The Gender Equal Pay coalition; HeForShe, a social movement campaign providing a systematic approach and targeted platform through which men and boys become agents of change for the achievement of gender equality; Women In Climate Change Gender Action Plan; Bi-annual Global Voices Film Festival

Vice President - UN Women USA

Spectrum Strategies for Autism

501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing sibling programming; and rescue dog matching, placement and training to families with children with Autism and other special needs.

University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings)

Teaching:  Negotiation / Mediation Clinic / Mediation Certification for Professionals / Special Education  Law. 2003-2012 taught regular course(s) on-site each semester. I tried to retire, but noooooo. They wouldn't let me 😂 2013-present continue on faculty as hybrid (remote and on-site) coach and instructor

Law Professor (Adj.)

International Chamber of Commerce

Serving as judge and mediator for ICC mediation competition in Paris, France

Mediator and Judge

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Teaching Negotiation practical skills course and supervising independent studies

Lecturer

EEOC

One of the small team of original designers of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s pilot mediation program in 1996 for the San Francisco Regional Office, and later mediated EEOC cases from San Jose to Sacramento

Mediator

Judicial Council of California

In-house employment law attorney for the Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), the policymaking body for the entire California court system for 58 counties and the Supreme Court of California. I advised the Judicial Council, the Chief Justice of California, and trial and appellate court judges and court officers, contributing to major policy and legal decisions on employment and labor issues that affect the entire judicial branch of California. During that time, I was also selected by the California Division for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) as a representative attorney for the judicial branch to conduct ongoing discrimination and harassment training through live, televised, satellite broadcast programming to court employees statewide. The target 20,000-member audience consisted of judges, human resources professionals, court directors and court staff. Broadcasting live with a studio audience, I also co-hosted CJER’s production of “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:  A Celebration of Justice,” as part of the Division’s Continuing The Dialogue television series. The content of many of the broadcasts drew upon expertise in the field of Civil Rights and various discrimination and fair employment laws.

Attorney - Office of the General Counsel

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Upon dissolution of boutique labor & employment firm in San Francisco, joined Orrick's Employment Law group and handled all aspects of litigation and client counseling. Closest clients I worked with included Gap, Apple, Oracle, Electronic Arts

Employment Litigation Attorney

VP Emerita UN Women | Attorney Action Figure 🦸🏻‍♀️ | Arresting Author | Chief Negotiation Officer | Plucky Podcast Host | Irreverent Int'l Keynote | "What Box?" Bellwether

📚 World domination through literary seduction. Elegant. Defiant. Irresistibly true. Are you ready for what's next (October 13, 2025)? MY WRITING IS ORGANIC USING REAL INTELLIGENCE (AI wishes it could write like me)

I'm not bossy. I'm BOSS. A UN Women VP, provocatrice, attorney/law professor turned negotiation GOAT . . .

(Buckle up. This is ..."a lot")

🦸🏻‍♀️ I help women harness the power of everyday negotiation—from conning a toddler into eating peas to running the boardroom. I authored the Little Black Dress of negotiation books. Why?

Because negotiation isn’t just for business. It’s everybody’s business 🧐

(But you don’t need me to “empower” you. Nor do I sell a “masterclass” or certification from my own “institute”)

🌍 World Mediation Peace Activist. Benevolent & incurable explorer (dubbed “creative savant”—you know who you are). A bit wild at ❤️‍🔥, I struggle with purpose and disrupt with goodwill—through advocacy, teaching, writing, broadcasting, philanthropy, art & sports.

🗣️ Polyglot. Passionate about people & social progress. JEDI agent (not a Star Wars ref). I’ve practiced law in private, public & non-profit sectors; have taught internationally, including over two decades as faculty at two University of California law schools.

I get that people are messy multitudes—and how they actually behave in conflict & decision-making.
What makes me next-level? Decades of deep experience in negotiation, behavioral economics, game theory, plus dope training in:

✔️ Emotional micro-expressions
✔️ Lie detection
✔️ Neuroscience & decision analysis

Oh, and I know the #1 most stealth negotiation skill. 😎

(Kinda like x-ray vision. Hint: it’s NOT “speaking your truth.”)

WHAT I’M NOT:

❌ A sales/marketing bro who built my expertise off a “masterclass”
❌ A brand
❌ Your income stream
❌ After your 💰 or approval
❌ One to trademark words. Ahem™ 🙄 (you know the type)

Special needs parent & dog whisperer—chaos doesn’t faze me, and persistence is my default setting. CEO of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing dogs & sibling support for families with special needs kids.

🫶 Turn-ons: Cake, shoes, pour-over coffee, decent literature
🤢 Turn-offs: NIMBYism, vapid buzzwords, elitism, posers

💡 Meyers-Briggs type? ENFJ-A (same 2% club as Obama & Oprah).

🕸️See more on pactumfactum.com, but TLDR: 
I’m 95% human Labrador (begs the question: what’s the other 5%?). Find it endearing or annoying. That's on you. Either way, I’ll be me because, as Oscar Wilde said, “Everyone else is taken.”

P.S.
❌ I don’t do casual Zoom coffee chats
✅ I’ve already overpaid it forward

Podcast Host

"Forces of Good" podcast - Click here to listen and subscribe for free: https://pactumfactum.substack.com

S. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

Ed Frauenheim & Friends

Founder

Teal Team

I helped start this organization, which is dedicated to advancing teal culture and organizations. Teal organizations are more soulful places to work, defined by self-management, holism and an evolving sense of purpose.

Co-founder

Quorum1

I'm a member of this collaborative network of professionals, managers & entrepreneurs. My focus areas are leadership development and content support.

Member

Great Place to Work US

I planned, collaborated on and produced a range of content designed to advance Great Place to Work's business, brand and mission. This content included articles on best workplaces for Fortune.com and other publications, talks for webinars and conferences as well as research papers. I worked closely with colleagues to analyze our extensive data on great workplaces and I interviewed employees and leaders at those workplaces to develop insights and tell great stories. The resulting content built on the 2018 book I co-wrote, "A Great Place to Work For All." In short, my work showed how workplaces that are consistently great--no matter who someone is or what they do for the organization--are better for business, better for people and better for the world.

Senior Director of Content

I spearheaded research and content efforts at Great Place to Work. My work included identifying lessons from great workplaces, commenting on business trends and advocating for a better world through great places to work for all.

Director of Research and Content

I coordinated Great Place to Work's worldwide research efforts.I also spearheaded creation of reports associated with our lists of the best workplaces in Europe, Latin America and Asia, as well as our list of the World's Best Multinationals.

Director, Global Research and Content

I had a contract role at research and consulting firm Great Place to Work, writing, editing and advising on content. I worked with both the Global Team as well as Great Rated! (now Great Place to Work Reviews), the organization's site that allows job seekers to thoroughly research companies and enables companies to share what makes them great.

Content & Curation Specialist

The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)

I led i4cp's working group on human resource technology matters. I selected topics and speakers for the group, called the HR Technology Exchange. I also facilitated the group's meetings.

HR Technology Exchange Facilitator

Human Capital Media, a division of MediaTec Publishing

I oversaw content development in several areas of people management for Human Capital Media's four publications: Workforce; Talent Management; Chief Learning Officer and Diversity Executive. My subject areas included technology, talent acquisition, management and engagement. 

Besides helping to set editorial strategy, assign and edit stories, I wrote for the publications and played a leadership role in events. My "Work in Progress" column in Workforce magazine and associated blog tackled the changing employment deal and aimed to find ways for work to work for both organizations and individuals. I also spearheaded our annual HR Tech Week conference and our Workforce Live in-person speaker series.

Associate Editorial Director

Crain Communications and MediaTec Publishing

I supervised coverage of HR technology and training issues and edited stories on a range of other topics related to people management and business strategy.

Senior Editor of Workforce Management

Workforce Management, a Crain Communications publication

I wrote about HR technology, talent management and the intersection of business strategy, public policy and economic insecurity. I also maintained a blog, Global Work Watch, that frequently analyzed social safety nets around the world. In 2007, I completed a three-week reporting trip to China focused on leadership challenges in the fast-growing nation.

Senior Writer

Wrote about business and workforce management issues, specializing in both HR in the tech world, and the tech of HR.

Staff Writer

CNET News.com

Wrote about labor issues in the technology industry, including offshore outsourcing. I also covered a variety of other tech issues, such as data storage, business software and nanotechnology.

Oakland Tribune / Bay Area News Group

Wrote about business issues affecting the San Francisco Bay Area. Also cpvered beats including population growth, education and transportation.

Reporter

I'm about reinventing masculinity, organizations and society. And about connecting the dots among the three for a more soulful world. 

My own experience as a man, as well as today's faster, flatter, fairness-focused world, convinces me that men now are called to break out of the "confined" masculinity that has dominated society for thousands of years. A "liberating" masculinity is emerging that frees men and those around them to live fuller lives at home, at play, at work and in the world.

This shift in how we show up as men is vital to the way many workplaces are changing for the better. They are becoming purpose-driven, egalitarian, human-centric.

These changes in manhood and organizations are part of a wider evolution in human society, where we are called to elevate our consciousness, recognize our interdependence and collaborate as never before. 

As a writer, advocate and activist, I'm dedicated to studying and shepherding these interrelated movements for a better masculinity, better organizations and a better, more soulful world.

I've studied workplace, technology and leadership matters for more than 25 years. My stories have been featured in USA Today, Harvard Business Review and Fortune. I spent six years as director of content at Great Place to Work, the consultancy that produces the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

I've co-authored four books. The latest is "Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection," co-authored with Dr. Ed Adams. It tells the story of how we're moving from that outdated, unhealthy "confined" way of being a man to a "liberating" masculinity that embraces compassion and connection.

The book also includes a chapter about Reinventing Masculinity at Work that synthesizes lessons I've learned from the world's best workplaces, weaves in findings from other scholars and shares stories from captains of industry and everyday men. 

I have co-written three other books, on work, technology and society. I've made more than 100 public speaking appearances. I also have organized and hosted events.

Earlier in my career, I spent roughly 20 years as a journalist, with stints at tech media firm CNET Networks, the Oakland Tribune chain of newspapers and Workforce magazine. I've also published freelance articles in publications including The Houston Chronicle, Salon.com and The Dallas Morning News.  

I live in San Francisco, have two teenage kids and an artist wife, Rowena Richie. In my spare time you can find me swimming, dancing to Daft Punk and playing disc golf with good friends.

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The Battle

S. Lucia Kanter St. Amour

Ed Frauenheim

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