Elly Conant started her career thinking through equity and inclusion as a k-12 teacher in a bilingual school. Her classroom, however, had multiple ethnicities, nationalities, and languages. During a brief break from education, Elly volunteered for several nonprofits that empowered racial minority teen mothers in various sectors. During that time, and because of the profound impact this group made, Elly pivoted her career to work for a global nonprofit where she once again worked with teen mothers. Elly became an expert in inclusion, equity, and diversity as she developed DEI training for staff and volunteers that were doing cross-racial and cross-cultural work. She developed equitable funding systems, inclusive and culturally competent organizational processes, and focused on systems change and advocacy.

In the middle of her DEI work, Elly put her career on hold while she and her husband Chad grew their family in Colorado.  Together they raised 4 children and fostered many others, resulting in the adoption of a biracial son. Navigating the foster care system opened their eyes to another marginalized group which afforded more advocacy opportunities for their entire family. 

Elly holds an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Spanish and a Certification in Inclusion, Diversity,  Equity, and Organizational Change from the National Center for Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

― Nelson Mandela