As the Real Talk Lead at CCC, Elena is using the tools and methodology of the Real Talk framework to help build a culture of listening and dialogue, with the goal of transforming the MIT community into a “listening campus”. Elena brings decades of experience in facilitating dialogue, mediation practice and training. As a certified Initial Mediation Trainer with the New York State Unified Court System she has trained hundreds of individuals in the art and practice of facilitative mediation. In all her work, Elena strives to embody the values of anti-racism, equity, and social justice.

Elena grew up bouncing around between family members in Montana, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, London, Texas, and Pennsylvania. She landed in Massachusetts to attend Phillips Academy Andover and Brandeis University, where she earned a BA in Sociology. Since 2005 she has lived and worked in New York and New Jersey, and is happy to be back again in Cambridge.

Outside of work, Elena is an unschooling parent and enjoys exploring the world with her husband and two kids. She also loves quilting, knitting, hiking, fresh water swimming, laughing, dancing, and rainbows.