Our Founder:
Full Bio

Janessa Rivera is a bilingual (English/Spanish) senior executive leader, organizational strategist, and principal consultant with more than 15 years of leadership and consulting experience across government, nonprofit, education, and mission-driven organizations.

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As Founder and Principal/Chief Consultant of ElevatHER Strategies, Janessa leads a women-owned consulting firm specializing in executive leadership, organizational strategy, workforce development, governance, and systems transformation. She brings deep expertise in guiding organizations through growth, change, and complexity—supporting executive teams, boards of directors, and senior leaders in aligning people, strategy, and operations for sustainable impact.

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Janessa’s professional background includes senior leadership roles within complex nonprofit and public-sector systems, where she has overseen large programs, managed compliance across federal, state, and municipal contracts, led multi-disciplinary teams, and advised leadership on strategic planning, performance improvement, and organizational redesign. Her work is grounded in both strategic rigor and practical implementation, ensuring that recommendations translate into measurable outcomes.

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Through ElevatHER Strategies, Janessa operates a collaborative consulting subject-matter expert model, serving as lead strategist and engagement manager while partnering with trusted subject-matter experts in areas such as human resources, fiscal strategy, governance, equity, and organizational culture. This approach allows clients to access specialized expertise while maintaining clear leadership, accountability, and continuity throughout each engagement.

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Known for her ability to translate complex challenges into actionable strategies, Janessa blends data-informed analysis, stakeholder engagement, and leadership development to help organizations strengthen capacity, navigate transition, and build resilient leadership pipelines. Her work spans executive coaching, leadership programs, fractional executive support, board development, and large-scale organizational consulting engagements.

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Janessa holds a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, and is completing her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Development. She is recognized for her grounded leadership style, systems-thinking approach, and commitment to advancing equity-centered, people-driven solutions across sectors.