Jonathan Vehar, M.S.

Jonathan Vehar is a Senior Partner at New & Improved where he works with organizations to develop leadership skills necessary for innovation. Investor’s Business Daily calls him an “Innovation Guru,” and his quick wit, piercing insights and commitment to excellence create powerful programs in the areas of creative thinking, strategic planning, group meeting facilitation, and innovation leadership development.

Some of the organizations to benefit from his training and facilitation include: Cadbury-Schweppes; Disney; GE; Johnson & Johnson; Kraft; Pfizer; the US Environmental Protection Agency and Navy plus various business schools around the country. As a speaker and seminar leader, Jonathan has presented innovation programs to tens of thousands of people, primarily in The Americas.

Jonathan is an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, the Center for Studies in Creativity at the State University of New York, and the Creative Problem Solving Institute. He is a regular presenter at the Innovation Network Convergence, and was co-chair of Convergence in 2004, 2006 and will be in 2007. Formerly the Director of Training and Consulting for the Creative Education Foundation, prior to that he worked in advertising and marketing for Leo Burnett and Lintas:USA, among other agencies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Creativity and Change Leadership from the State University of New York.

Jonathan has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and Entrepreneur and is the author of many articles, videotapes and training manuals about creative thinking. His latest book, co-authored with Bob Eckert, is entitled, “More Lightning, Less Thunder: How to Energize Innovation Teams.”

Jonathan lives in Evanston, IL, with his wife Susan and their dog, Cabeza. When he’s not working, he can be found racing sailboats, chasing his dog, and — having recently moved from Santa Monica, CA — “enjoying” the freezing cold Chicago winters.