Bio - Dr. Elavie Ndura, ACC

• 40+ years’ experience in inclusive excellence leadership, transformative pedagogy and community building in K-12 and higher education in diverse contexts.
• Led Equity Learning Series workshops that engaged 800+ cross-agency participants from across the State of Washington, thus bolstering statewide equity-minded leadership.
• Bolstered campus-wide capacities for mindful communication and community building at University of Washington Tacoma. Engaged 600+ stakeholders in mindful cross-cultural communication workshops.
• Engaged 1000+ faculty, students, staff, administrators, University Police Department, and community partners in group-based intercultural competency development workshops at Cal Poly Humboldt (previously Humboldt State University).
• Engaged 3,000 employees, students, alumni, and the Board of Trustees in cross-cultural conversations, mindful facilitation training, restorative justice practices in conflict mediation and resolution, and culturally responsive curriculum development and teaching at Gallaudet University.
• Designed and delivered innovative inclusive excellence training for more than 1,000 employees and students, guiding conversations effectively at George Mason University.
• Bolstered teaching and learning and elevated social cohesion by engaging 5,000+ educators and community members in professional development and peacebuilding activities in Burundi, Africa.
• Transformed the lives of thousands of students and educators through inclusive excellence - focused teaching and coaching in secondary schools and higher education.
• Published seven books and over 30 scholarly articles focused conflict transformation and centering education in peacebuilding and community building.

My story begins with a little girl who was born under a banana tree in a small village in Burundi, Africa. At the age five, she started walking six miles each way to attend her local elementary school. After she passed the grueling national exam in the sixth grade, she had to walk 80 km (50 miles) each quarter, barefoot, to her assigned secondary school in the pursuit of her seemingly unrealistic dream at that time in Burundi, Africa: education. She was already aware that no doors would automatically open for her because of the rampant ethnic and gender discriminatory practices and poverty in her country. But she was determined to succeed against all odds. 

When she was 13 years old, she wrote down her 10 life goals in a small notebook that she carried everywhere she went. One of her life goals was to achieve the highest education possible, and become a university professor either in the United States of America or the United Kingdom. She had never seen an airplane on the ground and had only learned about these countries in her Geography and History classes.

Her academic journey took her to the United Kingdom and then to the United States. She became an immigrant in the United States due to raging interethnic conflict and violence in her native country. As an immigrant Black woman in the United States, she has had to negotiate and inspire change in systems anchored in discrimination and exclusion, but nothing could stop her from pursuing her dream. That little girl grew up and realized her biggest dream at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. 

From her young age, never losing hope, she has always championed inclusive excellence. Hence, having realized her biggest dream, she expanded her reach to magnify her impact on systems change by serving in executive roles that advance inclusive excellence and positive conflict transformation. This work is her life mission. 

The little girl is me. A little older, a little wiser, a proud mother and grandmother. My leadership and practice champion inclusive excellence and foster community. I am deeply grateful to so many who have walked and continue to walk with me on this unprecedented journey.

There is more to the story. My consulting and coaching services will rekindle hope in your professional life and your organization. Working with me will boost your and your organization’s capacities to bridge communities, cultivate unity, transform conflict, and nurture harmony, thus achieving impressive results.

Impressive results are only one conversation away. Contact me at elavie@bananatree.consulting to schedule a free 30-minute conversation.