Kat Banzon

Kat Banzon is a negotiation and strategic communications expert with over ten years of experience in research, practice, and educating others. Having graduated from Columbia University with her Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Kat is committed to empowering people - especially women - to use the power of negotiation to improve their lives. She brings to her audiences years of combined professional and research experience, having worked in various fields including global humanitarian aid, higher education, and the private sector.

Kat knows what it’s like to be a woman of color in a male-dominated workplace. As a woman immigrant, she has been affected by structural constraints (racism), societal expectations (sexism), and cultural machismo (misogyny). She decided early on she would not be limited by others’ views of her, or by the place society expected her to stay in. She’s now helping other women learn strategies to take control of their communication with others.

Kat’s areas of expertise and research have culminated into presentations including “Deconstructing Empowerment,” “Women Negotiating in STEM Professions,” and facilitation of negotiation workshops that include the demonstration of skills including salary negotiations, workplace conflict, and social disputes. Other popular topics she presents include “The Secret to Effortless Negotiation,” “How to Deal with Difficult People,” and “Redefining Women’s Empowerment through Negotiations.” She has presented in prestigious arenas such as the International Association for Conflict Management, and ran simulations and workshops for organizations including the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and NYC Small Business Services.

Driven by her commitment to women’s equality and empowerment, Kat succeeds at making her presentations engaging, educational, and full of proven real-world strategies that every woman can use inside and outside the workplace. Women come out of her presentations newly empowered to lead conversations on their own terms and break through the barriers that have been holding them back.

She recently joined Columbia University in Fall '21 - Spring '22 as an associate supporting the courses: Introduction to Negotiation with Bodi Regan, Conflict Resolution and Dynamical Systems with Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, and Advanced Negotiation with Yelena Naginsky. She’s also a member of the Program Curriculum Committee (PCC), an advisory group that meets to discuss new course development, curricular planning, DEIA implementation, and blended learning for the school’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program.

Kat grew up in the Philippines and currently lives in Manhattan.