Elsa Powel Strong
Vice President, Solution Strategy
Regions
- US Mid-Atlantic
Summary
Elsa currently serves as the VP of Solution Strategy for Ariel, developing business leaders and organizations that inspire, motivate, and engage their people. She supports organizations and individuals to build the influence and communication skills they need to drive better performance. She is passionate about inclusion and belonging and empowering each person’s unique expression of their identity.
Leveraging her experience directing Ariel’s team of designers and subject matter experts and managing Ariel’s product portfolio, she now specializes in consulting with clients to design solutions and serves as a thought leader and partner to all parts of Ariel’s business.
Elsa lives in Rockville, MD with her husband, three kids and cats. She enjoys singing, learning how to produce electronic music, community building and activism and a good conversation about just about anything.
Training Experience
Elsa has designed and delivered programs to a diverse set of companies and organizations, including AbbVie, Acumen Fund, Adventist Healthcare, American Express, Bacardi, Bain Capital, Boston Consulting Group, Citi, Columbia University, Duke Corporate Education, Eversource, Google, Harvard Business School, Kaiser Permanente, Marriott, McKinsey and Co, Money Lion, NBC, Northrop Grumman, Oliver Wyman, Procter & Gamble, Prudential, Red Hat, Starbucks, and ThyssenKrupp.
Business Experience
Prior to her work with Ariel, Elsa served as a consultant and capacity-building advisor in Afghanistan and Bosnia.
In Afghanistan, Elsa designed and co-led the Afghanistan Energy Sector Strategic Capacity Building Summit, with the objective of educating sector leaders on strategic planning and management, building trust across the sector, opening the lines of communication, and encouraging collective ownership of the Energy Sector Capacity Building Strategy. In this role, she also designed and delivered leadership programs across the government and private sector of Afghanistan.
In Bosnia, she designed and delivered trainings to Bosnian energy sector regulators promoting high-performance teamwork. The objectives of the program included building trust, understanding the diverse resources of the group, enhancing group problem-solving, and strengthening negotiation skills.
Theater Experience
Elsa has been performing and studying opera and cabaret for more than fifteen years. Her career includes performances in Carmen, Madame Butterfly, and The Gondoliers with Opera Providence. She is an active member of the boards of directors of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists.
Education and Credentials
Elsa graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a B.A. in Community Health and a M.A. in Organizational Management from George Washington University. She was also a founding contributor to the Langer Mindfulness Institute, which was founded by Dr. Ellen Langer of Harvard University.
