Growing up in Durban, South Africa, she witnessed the power of advocacy through protest and realized the impact of storytelling and dialogue in driving social change. At the University of Michigan, she deepened her passion for social and racial justice. She received the 2020 M.L.K Spirit Award, co-founded a successful Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion organization that has grown 30x over 4 years, and gained expertise as a cross-cultural conflict resolution and intergroup relations facilitator, focusing on racial inequity. Additionally, she volunteered with Google, advising nonprofit C-suite executives on digital marketing to bridge the digital divide.

Now at Microsoft, Elsa continues to make a difference. She received the Silver Anthem Award for pioneering a docuseries showcasing young developers in Latin America and Africa who are using Microsoft cloud technologies to transform their communities. She authored a white paper advocating for more accessible cloud technologies for lower-income communities. She also developed inclusive strategies for large-scale global events, impacting over 1.5 million attendees, and led an LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Currently, her role at Microsoft centers on leveraging data, events, and human storytelling to influence major contributors to climate risk, driving their transformation toward sustainability.

Outside of Microsoft, she serves on the Young Professionals Board of the Urban Justice Center, supporting social justice start-ups.

This is just the beginning of her journey, as she utilizes technology to address systemic social inequities.