Meet Katie,
Founder
With over 20 years of experience driving organizational transformation and talent development, Katie Sheketoff is a strategic leader, executive coach, and trusted advisor with a proven track record of delivering high-impact results for global organizations. Katie specializes in shaping leadership strategies, building inclusive organizational cultures, and guiding senior executives through complex transitions.
Throughout her career, Katie has led transformative initiatives at organizations like Marriott International, Teach For All, and IREX, where she developed innovative leadership frameworks, advised C-suite executives, and implemented change management strategies across diverse cultural contexts. Her expertise spans strategic planning, executive coaching, and organizational design, helping companies scale operations, foster high-performance cultures, and create sustainable growth.
As the Director of Global Leadership Development at Marriott International, Katie designed award-winning programs that reached 30,000 participants globally, integrating technology and cutting-edge learning solutions. She has also served as Chief of Staff and consultant for nonprofit organizations, including Think of Us and Foster America, where she guided leadership teams through organizational scaling and transformation.
Katie is passionate about building systems that drive both impact and operational excellence. As the founder of Elevate Labs, she now brings her expertise to help organizations and individuals navigate change, enhance leadership capabilities, and overcome barriers to success. Her work is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and a deep commitment to fostering inclusive, high-performing teams.
Katie holds a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Politics from Georgetown University. She is also the President of the Board for Children’s International Summer Villages’ DC Chapter, an organization dedicated to empowering youth to build friendships across lines of difference and promote global peace.
Meet David,
Head of Innovation and Design
David Bonck is an instructional designer with over 15 years of experience in corporate talent development.
He has designed leadership development programs for the Advisory Board, a research and consulting firm in Washington, DC, as well as Marriott International, a global travel company.
His programs have impacted tens of thousands of people around the world, from entry-level employees to senior executives of hotels and health systems.
Meet Shannon,
Head of Programs
Shannon Scott is a leader in transformational learning, program design, and leadership development. With over 15 years in public systems and social impact organizations, she has created and scaled fellowships, coaching pipelines, and community learning initiatives that equip leaders to drive measurable change.
Shannon blends adaptive leadership, Results-Based Facilitation, somatic abolitionism, and healing-centered engagement into experiences that move participants from inspiration to sustained action.
Previously, she served as Senior Director of the Training Hub powered by StriveTogether, a $3M national platform serving 5,000+ leaders annually. Through her consultancy, J8 Consulting, she has designed national leadership programs, including the Economic Recovery Corps fellowship, ReImagine’s Lived Experience Training Program, and onboarding for national leadership cohorts.
Her earlier leadership roles include Managing Director at Foster America, where she led one of the country’s most innovative fellowships focused on transforming child welfare systems, and senior positions with Teach For America and Teach For Malaysia.
Shannon holds a B.A. from Michigan State University, an M.Ed. from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and an M.P.A. from George Mason University. Certified in Results-Based Facilitation and Healing-Centered Engagement, she is known for pairing strategic vision with heart-centered leadership to spark both personal transformation and systemic change.
Meet Jourdan,
Research and Insights Associate
With an academic background in Psychology and Statistics, Jourdan D’Jalma Garnier has experience in research, mentorship, service, and non-profit work. Jourdan is committed to creating tools and offering support to make organizations safer and more sustainable.
Jourdan was mentored under Dr. Christine Rosales and participated in several interdisciplinary research projects. He became a mentor for the Innovation Scholars program at the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) at CSUMB. There, he co-founded the Otterly Curious undergraduate research podcast. Jourdan served with the Restorative Justice Partners, Inc. of Monterey County. There, he aided community building circles, victim offender reconciliation, and implementing restorative justice in schools.
Jourdan D’Jalma Garnier is a recent graduate of California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and with a minor in Statistics.
