Elena is an Italian national with more than 20 years of professional experience in Africa, specializing in the field-based management of development programs, specifically focusing on women leadership, community health and economic empowerment. Since her appointment as CEO of Tostan in 2017, Elena has focused on unlocking the organization's deepest strategic potential: to support the scale of community well-being. Under Elena's leadership Tostan is working in partnership with a range of local, national, and international actors -- and setting the stage for major breakthroughs for well-being in the organization's soon-to-launch Strategy to 2030. Elena is also a co-founder of Catalyst2030, a collaborative movement of joint action for systems change to achieve the SDGs. Elena holds a Global Executive MBA from Georgetown University/ESADE Business School, a Masters of International Relations at Sciences Po Paris and University of Trieste, Italy. She currently lives in Dakar with her family.
Early Childhood to Primary EducationEconomic OpportunityEducationEnvironmental SustainabilityHealthHuman RightsLivelihoodsPeacePeace and Human RightsWomen's and Girls' Education
West and Central Africa
