Elise Alexander

Associate

Elise is passionate about supporting people and organizations to develop new capacities and make purposeful change.

Elise’s career has been guided by her belief that learning happens on the edge of one’s comfort zone. She earned a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard College, during which she also studied Adaptive Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Adult Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Shortly before the onset of the COVID pandemic, Elise moved to Louisiana to work on innovative education policies for students with disabilities as a Govern for America Fellow. She then came to Germany as a U.S. State Department Fellow, where she honed her intercultural skills and built a consulting practice focused on equitable systems change. She has advised leading American mayors on strategic educational leadership, managed sustainability strategy for community-led vocational training programs across Appalachia, and facilitated impact evaluation for development projects in Asia and Africa.

Elise’s leadership portfolio includes designing and delivering experiential leadership programs at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Germany. She also has several years of experience in wilderness leadership, guiding individuals toward (literal) new heights and perspectives.