Ella F. Washington

Dr. Ella F. Washington is an organizational psychologist and DEI expert with a wealth of experience through her involvement as the Founder and CEO of Ellavate Solutions, a Professor of Practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the Co-host of Gallup's Center of Black Voices Cultural Competence Podcast, and the Author of "The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion". Dr. Washington continues to deepen her research pipeline and thought leadership as a Gallup Senior Scientist studying race, strengths and other DEI workplace topics.

Dr. Washington’s global human capital consulting experience has allowed her to impact clients across a myriad of industries including financial services, sports & entertainment, oil & gas, higher education and government. Previously, Dr. Washington led the Diversity and Inclusion function Gallup as a subject matter expert where she provided insight to clients on issues of inclusion, culture, strategic diversity and engagement. Her research and client work focuses on women in the workplace, barriers to inclusion for diverse groups, and working with organizations to build inclusive cultures. She has conducted inclusiveness audits, developed learning workshops, and facilitates strategic planning sessions with executive leadership teams who have goals of intentionally improving diversity and inclusion.

These experiences inspired the 2016 founding of Ellavate Solutions, an integrated DEI strategy firm. Ellavate Solutions provides dynamic 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's 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 attended Spelman College, a historically Black women’s institution in Atlanta which led to her passion for maximizing the success of women and minorities. After earning her PhD in 2014 at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, she moved to Washington, DC where she currently resides. Dr. Washington is passionate about teaching and she truly loves the impact that she is able to make on the lives of future business leaders every day as a professor at Georgetown. Her impact is powerful as she received the Excellence in Teaching Award from Georgetown's MBA Class of 2021.

Her first solo book was published by the Harvard Business Review in 2022, titled "The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion." Dr. Washington enjoys being active in her church, giving back to her local community, traveling the world and staying closely connected with loved ones.