Warren Bennis, educator, author, and consultant, received his B.A in psychology and business from Antioch College and his Ph.D in economics and social science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following the completion of his Ph.D, Bennis worked to establish the study of leadership as an academic field, spending several years on the faculty of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, later becoming Chairman of the Organizational Studies Department. He has served on faculties of Harvard and Boston Universities. He also taught at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC), INSEAD, and the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In 1967, Bennis accepted the appointment of Provost and Executive Vice President at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Bennis left SUNY Buffalo to serve as the 22nd President of the University of Cincinnati from 1971-1977. Through his leadership, the university transitioned from a municipal university to a major research-oriented university and a member of the University System of Ohio. Both SUNY Buffalo and the University of Cincinnati awarded honorary degrees to Bennis in 2007. In total, he received honorary degrees from 15 institutions.

In addition to his teaching and administrative work, Bennis has advised four presidents of the United States and served on many high-level advisory boards, including the White House Task Force on Science Policy. He also served as an advisor to Fortune 500 companies and their equivalents around the world. He has served on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce, Claremont University Center, and the Salk Institute, among others.

Bennis joined the USC faculty in 1979 as professor of business administration, and during his 35 year tenure earned the distinction of being appointed both a Distinguished Professor and University Professor. He was the founding chairman of the USC Marshall School's Leadership Institute, which is dedicated to preparing future generations for the business and public sectors through real-world training. In addition to teaching, the majority of Bennis’ 30 published books were written or co-written during his time at USC, along with hundreds of essays and articles. At USC, Bennis also continued to consult with business leaders and served on various USC committees, such as search committees for USC's President, to committees reviewing everything from undergraduate education to facultry appointments and promotions.