By: Natalie Johnson
For nearly a decade, Dr. Lori Ana Valentín analyzed controlled substances in criminal cases at the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center. She tested hundreds of evidentiary items, testified in court, and helped identify emerging drugs that contributed to new controlled substance legislation in New York State.
After leaving forensic science, she brought that investigative mindset into a new arena. As Director of Professional Development at The College of Saint Rose, she partnered with client organizations to design and implement customized training and development programs. Over the years, she observed a pattern repeating across STEM organizations: strong technical contributors were being promoted into leadership positions without the skills needed to manage teams, navigate conflict, or communicate effectively across an organization. It was a gap she felt compelled to address.
Today, as the founder of Radiant Journey LLC, she coaches scientists and engineers in management and leadership roles at organizations including NASA, Merck, and Estée Lauder. Her approach draws on analytical rigor, investigative acumen, and high emotional intelligence to address management and organizational challenges across a range of team structures and technical environments.
Valentín’s process mirrors the scientific method itself. She assesses individuals to determine core characteristics (personality, communication style, and information processing), then strategically prescribes management strategies to custom-fit the individual or the group. Her examples are full of what she calls “chemisms,” drawing on scientific concepts and processes to make management theory tangible for technical professionals who are more comfortable in a lab than a boardroom.
Dr. Valentín earned her doctorate in analytical chemistry from Binghamton University and received specialized leadership training from the NYSP Civilian Leadership School and the American Chemical Society, where she served as 2022 Chair of the Eastern New York section and received the 2020 Outreach Volunteer of the Year Award. She also holds a black belt in martial arts, a discipline that shaped her thinking about focus, adaptability, and leading under pressure.
Her keynote lectures and leadership training span five areas in which she has developed deep expertise: succession planning, organizational communication, conflict resolution, workforce development, and performance optimization. The long-term vision behind this work is to embed management coaching within the organizational infrastructure of STEM institutions, making leadership development a core competency rather than something reactive, if at all.
“Technical work and management work require two totally different skillsets,” she says. “I bridge the gap for companies by delivering leadership development while speaking the language that scientists and engineers understand.”
