Dr. Vikki has long been intrigued by history and genealogy, most recently that of the professional coaching field. Her Ph.D. dissertation, completed in June 2008, was titled “Grounded Theory of the Roots and Emergence of Coaching.” Over 170 interviews of key influencers and an extensive literature search culminated in a 693 page document (this includes appendices and references). View the Chapters, Appendices A-J, and Appendices K-T and References here. Since completing her Ph.D. in June 2008, Vikki speaks internationally and is the foremost subject matter expert on the roots and emergence of the coaching field. Recent presentations and publications include:
- “Professional Challenges Facing the Coaching Field from an Historical Perspective”, The Future of Coaching, Issue 7, March 11, 2016.
- “Evolution of Coaching: A Brief History” ICF Brasil, October 19, 2015
- “Special Report: History of Coaching” in Management Magazine, August 2015
- “Secret History of Coaching“, ICF Madrid, Spain, November 14, 2014
- “Spanish Interview“, VGB Madrid, November 14, 2014
- “Coaching History Tidbits Column“, Peer Bulletin 2013-2014.
- “Coaching Continues to Defy all Attempts at Definition and Containment“, Choice Magazine, September 2013.
- “The Secret History of Coaching – Past and Present“, ICF Phoenix, May 8, 2013.
- “The Secret History of Coaching – Past, Present, Future“, ICF New York, April 24, 2013.
- “The Emergence and Evolution of Coaching“, Peer Bulletin Number 219, December 2012.
- “Introduction to Coaching History“, UT Dallas Coaching News and the Executive and Professional Coaching Program at UT Dallas-Jindal School of Management, June 2012.
- “Coaching History and Evolution: Coach Training, Development and Education“, ACTO, Orlando, Florida, April 20, 2012
- “Coaching Back To The Future“, NOBCO, Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 2011
- “The Secret History of Coaching“, European Mentoring and Coaching Conference, Dublin, Ireland, November 2010
- “The Evolution of the Gift of Coaching“, Practice Pay Solutions Newsletter, May 2010
- “Coaching Pioneers: Laura Whitworth and Thomas Leonard“, International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, Issue 1, 2009
- “Professional Challenges Facing the Coaching Field From an Historical Perspective“, International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, Issue 1, 2009
- “Professional Challenges Facing the Coaching Field From an Historical Perspective“, European Mentoring and Coaching Council Conference 2008, Prague, Czech Republic
- “A Tribute to Coaching: The Pioneers“, Choice Magazine, September 2008
- “Who’s Who in Business Coaching: Who Shaped It“, European Coaching Conference 2007, Helsinki, Finland
- “Who’s Who In Coaching: Who Shaped It, Who’s Shaping It“, International Coach Federation 2006 Research Symposium, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- “Who’s Who In Coaching: Who Shaped It, Who’s Shaping It“, In Proceedings of the Fourth ICF Coaching Research Symposium November 1, 2006, R. Campone, F. and J. L. Bennett (eds.)
- “Key Influences on the Field“, Choice Magazine, 2006
Vikki is the former volunteer Director of the History and Archive Division at The Harnisch Foundation, and also the former team lead for the Hall of Fame and Virtual Museum of Coaching at The Coaching Commons (which closed and was arhived December 2010), a project of the Harnisch Foundation. Vikki’s book, Sourcebook of Coaching History, was published in May 2012 and has become an industry standard. The second edition was published April 2014 to correct factual inaccuracies in the first edition. The book is being translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Korean and Chinese. Check out www.coachinghistory.com for more on the history of coaching. Check out a 12-minute compilation video from Vikki’s keynote at the NOBCO Conference in the Netherlands on September 22, 2011. Rey Carr’s article The End of Coaching as We Knew It in Peer Resources Bulletin for July 2011 was used as resource material for this presentation.
Vikki was an attendee at the International Coaching Research Forum held at Harvard in September 2009. See what she has to say about the History of Coaching:
Vikki was a keynote speaker at the ICF Brasil event on October 19, 2015 along with her longtime colleagues Amorah Ross and Jay Perry. Below is a flyer from the event:
This program is a development opportunity for individuals and groups. Beginning with the practice element to determine the level of readiness and willingness to engage in this work, when complete with this five element program, you will have improved your presence along with your quality of life on the job and at home. 
