A proud Peruvian-American, Elaine Townsend Utin is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LatinxEd, leading the charge to build pathways of opportunity for Latine learners and leaders across North Carolina. Growing up as a 1.75-generation immigrant and first-generation college student in the rural U.S. South, Elaine’s journey fuels her mission to break down barriers for the Latine community, especially for those navigating financial and geographical challenges.

As an award-winning educator and conscious leadership coach, Elaine specializes in cultivating spaces for positive racial-ethnic identity development and advancing the next generation of changemakers. Her dedication to revolutionizing education earned her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Education, a testament to her impact in creating more equitable opportunities.

Elaine holds a B.A. in Middle Grades Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Gates Millennium Scholar, and a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, specializing in Technology, Innovation, and Education. During her time at Harvard, she was honored with the 2016 HGSE Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award. Elaine’s teaching experience spans all ages, from elementary to middle and high school to college, including her role as an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Education. Her journey has also taken her abroad to South Korea as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, where she taught English as a Foreign Language and broadened her global perspective on education.

In her personal life, Elaine is a long-standing Hermana of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., and loves spending quality time with her family and friends.