About Me
My Short/Speaker Bio
Dr. Ben Baran is an organizational psychologist and award-winning management professor at Cleveland State University, co-founder of the management consulting firm Indigo Anchor, co-host of The Indigo Podcast, and a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
He is the author of 25 publications on leadership, management, and adversity. He frequently advises executives and other senior leaders. In his military service, Ben has led people and projects around the world from the California coast to Afghanistan.
When not working, Ben enjoys picking up heavy things and running—sometimes at the same time, but not usually. He lives near Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and children.
My Longer, More Official Bio
Dr. Benjamin E. Baran is a business educator and researcher, executive-level military officer, experienced management consultant, and Northeast Ohio community leader.
He is an award-winning associate professor of management at Cleveland State University’s Monte Ahuja College of Business, where his teaching and research focus primarily on human resource management and organizational behavior. He began his academic career at Northern Kentucky University, where he was the 2012 recipient of the Haile/US Bank College of Business Dean’s Citation for Outstanding Teaching.
Paralleling his academic career, Dr. Baran serves as a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In that capacity, he is Deputy Commander, Navy Personnel Command, a role in which he oversees more than 200 personnel including those serving in the Navy’s Talent Management Center of Excellence, which he directs. He also leads all aspects of strategy and readiness for the community of approximately 200 reserve human resources officers, along with contributing to numerous other Navy-wide efforts as one of the 282 most senior officers across the Navy’s approximately 400,000 active duty and reserve personnel.
Since 2007, Dr. Baran has delivered consulting solutions to organizations across a wide range of industries and sectors. He holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources from the HR Certification Institute and as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional from the Society for Human Resource Management. He is a co-founder and principal of the consulting firm Indigo Anchor and the co-host of The Indigo Podcast.
Dr. Baran has lived in Northeast Ohio since 2011. From 2019 to 2024, he served on the Board of Directors of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation as the chair of its Governance and Nominations Committee and its Personnel and Compensation Committee. In that role, he facilitated the organization’s strategic direction and execution, including fundraising, community engagement, and internal administration. In 2023, the City Council of Hudson, Ohio, appointed Dr. Baran to serve as the vice chair of its Military and Veterans Commission, a role in which he helps lead efforts to support those who serve or have served in the military within his local community.
Following the tragic death of his third child in November 2020, Dr. Baran and his family created the annual Vincent William Baran Day of Service in his memory. Starting with the inaugural day of service in 2021, these efforts resulted in a total of 1,978 volunteers providing 4,556 hours of in-person community service to 31 nonprofit organizations while raising more than $90,000 to support the poor and vulnerable including those served by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Prior to joining academia, Dr. Baran served as a public-relations professional at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Baran holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication from Villanova University and earned his master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology and Ph.D. in organizational science from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He also completed Joint Professional Military Education Phase I and Phase II through the U.S. Naval War College and National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College, respectively.