Meet
the team
MICHELLE MOORE HERNANDEZ
CEO and Founder
Michelle founded Leading Elephants in 2010 to provide a proof point that achieving great impact and caring for the humans involved don’t have to be exclusive. She is a coach at heart, loves creating spaces for real conversation, and geeks out on solving complex organizational challenges.
Prior to forming Leading Elephants, Michelle served as Senior Leadership Director for The Broad Residency, a fellowship program designed to place, train and develop talented leaders in urban education. In this role, she designed the Residency’s comprehensive leadership curriculum, led a team of transformational leadership coaches and managed communities of practice to support residents in maximizing their impact and development. Michelle began her career at PwC where she was one of only two women partners in the Firm’s US Mergers and Acquisitions practice.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and Communication studies, and a Masters in Psychology.
Michelle lives with her husband and twin boys in Charlottesville, VA. She is obsessed with farflung global adventures and thrives on the adrenaline rush of a good skydive or powder day on the slopes.
AMBER MACKAY
Managing Director
Amber serves as a coach, trainer, and all-around consultant in building our clients’ organizational capacity. Amber specializes in bringing heart-centered leadership to strategic work. She is passionate about helping leaders to thrive and find sustaining fulfillment in social impact work.
Prior to working at Leading Elephants, Amber served as a leader in several capacities at Achievement First. In her early years at the organization, she led a team of data strategists to provide reporting, performance evaluation, and support for data-intensive organizational initiatives. Later, Amber served as a chief of staff in the COO Office. Amber has also served as a coach, strategy consultant, and interim Chief of Staff with charter networks across the US.
Prior to her work in education, Amber was an economic consultant at Analysis Group where she supported expert witnesses testifying in corporate litigation. Amber has a Bachelor’s of Economics from Brigham Young University, and a Masters in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics.
Amber is based in the Menlo Park, California. She loves her family, travel, her faith, and good food.