Elena Esina

Director, Operations & Special Projects

Elena Esina is an accomplished leader with a profound commitment to fostering positive change in her community. With a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in financial management, she has built a solid foundation for her 20-year career contributing to both the non-profit and private sectors. As Director of Operations and Special Projects at Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, Elena expertly manages operations for large-scale research projects in domestic violence prevention while supervising students, conducting research and leading the pioneering Immigrant Women Work-Integrated Learning Hub that offers work experience placements for internationally trained women within an academic setting. Beyond her role at the University of Calgary, Elena is also a co-founder of Shift to Learn, an online platform empowering users to create the conditions for violence prevention and equitable communities, as well as a co-lead author of the bestselling book Landed: Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women. Elena is also an experienced board member with a strong commitment to community leadership. She currently serves on the City of Calgary’s sub-committee on Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and the Fund Development committee for the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. Elena’s commitment to community leadership has been widely recognized, including her status as a finalist for the 2024 Immigrants of Distinction Awards, the 2024 Alberta Newcomer Recognition Award, the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and the 2016 Faculty of Social Work Management and Non-Academic Excellence Award. In her free time, Elena enjoys spending time with family, doing yoga, and camping.