Meet Linda: Global Leader & Systems Thinking for All Ages

Linda Booth Sweeney, Ed.D. —

Systems Strategist | Author | Speaker

For Leaders & Organizations

Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney is a systems strategist, speaker, and award-winning author who helps mission-driven organizations and Fortune 500 companies turn complexity into innovation — for performance, people, and planet. She’s known for making systems thinking actionable through Systems Leadership Labs, where leaders experiment with language, visualization tools, and knowledge architecture to move beyond silos and create coordinated, sustainable change. Linda holds a doctorate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and conducted research with MIT’s Organizational Learning Center and MIT Sloan. Earlier, she directed leadership programs at Outward Bound and recently led a 15-foundation learning collaborative focused on systems change

Her books include The Systems Thinking Playbook and The Climate Change Playbook. Linda has advised organizations such as Cargill, General Mills, Eastman Chemical, and numerous foundations, and her work is featured in Harvard Business Publishing’s Managemento™ Spark platform.

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For Children & Educators

Linda blends story, art, science, and humor to reveal the often-hidden interconnections that shape our world. Her books invite kids—and the adults who read with them—to have “curious about connections” conversations, By understanding both the parts and the web of relationships around us, children become "systems-smart" and gain confidence navigating complexity as they grow. Her children's books include Monument Maker, Apart, Together; The Noisy Puddle (a Kirkus & Science Friday Best Book); and Do Bees Pee? (Harper Collins, June 2026).

She works with teens to develop practical systems leadership skills and her writing is featured in PBS Learning Media™ (see "Systems Literacy") and Highlights Magazine.

Resources & School Visits

Browse All Books

Global Leader: Systems Thinking

& Systemic Change

A Personal Note

I am a competitor, collaborator, outdoor enthusiast,

and insatiable reader; lover of complexity, sleep, and my 1974 Volkswagen Thing.

I am also a firm believer that this world can work for 100% of humanity —

no exceptions.

I live outside Boston, and can often be found swimming in Walden Pond,

or trying to tame my unruly garden. One of my greatest joys is collaborating on community art installations that bring neighbors into deeper conversations

with place, possibility, and each other.

And I'm nice. Get in touch!