Ella Washington, PH.D.

Advisory Board Member

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ellavate Solutions

Dr. Washington joined the IR+M Board of Trustees as an Advisory member in 2021. She is an organizational psychologist, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ellavate Solutions, and a Professor of Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Dr. Washington continues to deepen her research pipeline as a Gallup Senior Scientist studying race, strengths and other DEI workplace topics.

Dr. Washington was invited to join the IR+M Board of Trustees because of her expertise developing leaders, igniting company cultures, and designing impactful organizations. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Crosschq, Inc. Ellavate Solutions provides diversity and inclusion strategy and training for organizations looking to commit to systematic cultural changes in how they recruit, develop, engage and assess performance. Dr. Washington’ in-depth experience in this area stems from both her research on racial and gender disparities in corporate leadership positions as well as her global DEI consulting experience with Fortune 100, government and non-profit organizations.

Growing up in Durham, North Carolina with a tight-knit family gave Dr. Washington her roots. She proudly graduated with a BA in Psychology from Spelman College. After earning her Ph.D. at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, she moved to Washington, DC where she currently resides. Dr. Washington enjoys being active in her church, giving back to her local community, traveling the world, and staying closely connected with loved ones.

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