Cheryl is the founder of Decisive, a decision sciences company that trains people and teams in complex problem solving and decision-making skills using the AREA Method. AREA is an evidence-based decision-making system that uniquely controls for and counters cognitive bias to expand knowledge while improving judgment. Cheryl developed AREA during her two decades as an award-winning investigative journalist writing for publications ranging from The New York Times to Foreign Policy Magazine, Barron’s and Harvard Business Review. Cheryl is a long time educator, having taught at Columbia Business School for over a decade and currently teaching at Cornell University’s SC Johnson School of Business and Cornell Tech. She is the author of three books: Problem Solved, A Powerful System for Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Conviction, about personal and professional decision-making, and Investing In Financial Research, A Decision-Making System for Better Results about financial and investment decisions. Her new book about Problem Solver Profiles and the psychology of decision-making, Problem Solver, Maximizing Your Strengths To Make Better Decisions, was published in the Spring of 2023. Cheryl loves to be in the great outdoors, spend time with her three kids, and bake all kinds of good cookies. Learn more by watching her Ted talk and visiting areamethod.com.

Dr. Emma Trout is an education strategist and practitioner whose work is focused on developing social emotional skills and translating research into practice. She started her career as a high school math teacher in Detroit and has spent the last 10 years in education. Her experience has been diverse spanning nonprofits, curriculum development, school administration and holistic adult education. Cheryl and Emma met through a series of fortunate events in 2017 and have been in cahoots ever since. She currently serves as the Senior Program Director at Decisive.