“Elena’s core strength as a leader is her ability to allow people around her to both see and then implement solutions, no matter the challenge. Elena does this through patient conversation and strategic thinking.”

— Monique Alfris. Co-founder of Pollinate Group.

BIO | CREDENTIALS

Elena Bondareva (MA, BS: Cornell University; PhD candidate: RMIT; WELL AP, WELL PTA) is a versatile executive, a seasoned transformation expert and Board director, and a lauded author and speaker.

Having catalyzed over two dozen transformational ventures, Elena has a solid international track record of systems change around persistent problems at project, organization, industry, and topic level. 

Over her rich global career, Elena has thus far:

  • Held public, private, teaching, and Board roles in Australia, India, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, and the US; 

  • Assisted dozens of organizations in going to the next level of impact;

  • Participated in globally significant events such as COP17, G20, and the World Green Building Council Congress; 

  • Designed and facilitated global summits, executive leadership programs, and more;

  • Helped establish four Green Building Councils and the Living Future Institute of Australia;

  • Served on the COVID-19 and the Health Equity Taskforces of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI);

  • Served on the Advisory Board for the Greenbuild's Global Health & Wellness Summit (second term).

  • Published in peer-reviewed and public journals; presented at countless international conferences;

  • Trained thousands of professionals in emerging expertise.  

The author of Change-maker's Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Create Meaningful Impact Through Business (2023), Elena has distilled two decades of research and practice into an actionable roadmap to impact. 

Elena currently serves on the Boards of Pollinate Group, a ground-breaking and award-winning social enterprise combatting intergenerational poverty through female entrepreneurship, and of BLOOM Workforce Development, an economic launchpad for the most disadvantaged. Elena is also a mentor with the Miller Center for Social Enterprise and with ProspectSV.  She continues to lead Vivit Group Worldwide, her global practice focused on enabling change-makers to create their legacy. She is also completing her PhD at RMIT University.

“Visionary and practical leadership.”

WHAT MOST DEFINES ELENA

  • Daring. Elena doesn’t see most limitations. At 14, from Russia, and without money, she applied to a U.S. college then left her parents to become the youngest international college student in the U.S. to leapfrog high school, and earned two degrees in a foreign language and on a full scholarship from Cornell University.

  • Actionable innovation. An idea that changes the status quo trumps the idea that could. As a seasoned entrepreneur and an extremely practical person, Elena not only pushes the limits but applies systems thinking to make the impossible a reality.

  • Intellectual honesty. Despite pervasive relativity, Elena honors objective reality, reads widely, and embraces discourse.

  • Reliability. Raised in tough times by hard workers, she’s worked since 11. Elena finds honor in work and none in excuses. Innate curiosity, resourcefulness, and discipline help – and explain her atypical versatility – as she quickly masters any topics and tasks.

EDUCATION

Current: PhD by practice research. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

‘12 Advanced Diploma of Group Facilitation. Groupwork Institute of Australia.                                                                         

‘10 Leadership & Entrepreneurship Program. Thinc Group.

‘05 M.A. (by research). Cornell University, Ithaca NY, U.S.

  • GPA: 3.926. Design, Change Leadership, and Business.

  • Exposed contextual springboards and impediments to the success of internationally viable market-based change mechanisms (such as LEED) in transition economies. 

  • Full-ride: academic scholarship, Professor Assistantship, USD 7,771 for research. 

  • Post-defense, published in a peer-reviewed journal.

‘04 B.S.: Design and Environmental Analysis: Interior Design. Cornell University, Ithaca NY, U.S.

  • Full-ride; one of only eight Cornell International Scholars to receive any scholarship at all.

  • Golden Key International Honor Society. Dean’s List.

’98-‘00 - Mary Baldwin University. Staunton, VA, U.S.

  • First international student in the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG).

  • Highest GPA across all undergraduates; Dean’s List.

  • Scholarships, merit and leadership awards, grants.

 

SELECT PRESENTATIONS

  • VERGE’22: DERs: Activating Local Energy Markets. CA USA. Oct’22.

  • Circle’s Converge22. Blockchain, Sustainable Growth, and the Green Economy. CA USA. Sep’22.

  • NZ22. Role of EVs in Activating Nodal Energy Markets. CA USA. Sep’22.

  • NIBS Innovation Conference: How to Create Systems Change. Sep’21.

  • Greenbuild GHW Summit: Should We Regulate for Healthy Buildings? Sep’21.

  • GBBC’s Blockchain Central UNGA: Building Sustainable and Resilient Systems. Sep’21.

  • Green Economy Forum (Russia): Shortlist of Strategies Proven to Accelerate the Transition to a Green Economy.  Oct’20.

  • Green Building Council of South Africa’s Convention. The role of sustainability professionals post COVID-19.  Oct’20.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

  • Change-maker's Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Create Meaningful Impact Through Business (2023).

  • A Day in The Life of Alex, a Facilities Manager at a Grid-interactive Campus. Published in Extreme Green Buildings by The Fifth Estate. Mar’23.

  • Blockchain: a Superpower Short on Purpose. An Open Letter to the blockchain tech community. Nov’22.

  • Invited 5-part series on grid-interactive buildings for Facilities Management Journal (FMJ) by IFMA: (1) Enter: Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (2) RECs: What do Renewable Energy Certificates Mean to Real Estate? (3) Peer-to-Peer Trading (4) Electric Vehicles: Batteries on Wheels (5) Operating Grid-interactive Buildings. ‘21-’22.