About our Founder
Hello! My name is Ivonne Ramirez-DeBlois​
I am a speaker, facilitator, consultant and executive coach
I am a 4'11" Latina born into a matriarchal household where I was encouraged to speak my voice, advocate for causes, and knock down doors. I am a speaker and facilitator, a consultant, and an executive coach. My fiery energy led me to Washington, DC, where I became a dedicated sexual violence and gender equity advocate. I focused on leadership development to support campuses and nonprofits toward social justice change. Throughout my work, I incorporate a research-based approach to creating and managing programs, developing strategies, and implementing successful solutions. As I gained experience in leadership roles, I found purpose in giving voices to staff and supporting them in overcoming organizational resistance and inertia.
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Connecting with other leaders, especially women of color, inspired me to earn certifications in both executive coaching and social impact management and leadership, complementing my Bachelor's and Master's degrees. In 2014, I began supporting colleges and nonprofits with program design, policy development, and serving as a speaker and facilitator.
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After 14 years of working in institutions and nonprofit organizations, I went full-time with Elevating Authenticity in 2023. I dedicated my time to working with authentic leaders who are socially driven and need support harnessing their leadership skills and creating systems within their organizations that support staff and the communities they serve.
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When not working with my incredible clients, I love watching HGTV, reading historical fiction where women solve crimes, and spending time with my family and two dogs.
Our Values
Guiding Principles That Define Our Culture & Our Relationship to You
1
Uplifting Lived Experiences
Centering the voices and experiences of your community and constituents.
2
Accountability with Trust
Challenging each other to create the societal change needed and assuming the best intent in each other.
3
Learning in Action
We encourage risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and applying newfound knowledge to improve ourselves and our organizations. We cannot create change if we aren't willing to take risks.
4
Power of Connection
We prioritize connection in everything we do. We cannot create lasting change unless we facilitate our work through the lens of relationships, collaboration, and community.
5
Courageous Leadership
We firmly believe that true leadership demands taking risks, making tough decisions, and standing up for's right. This unwavering commitment to courageous leadership is evident in every aspect of our work, from how collaborate, support, and serve our team clients.
6
Genuine Service
We believe in providing our clients with authentic and trustworthy services that they can rely on. We are committed to honesty and transparency, even if that means having difficult conversations throughout the process.
Our Services
Speaking Engagements & Facilitation
Our goal is to provide impactful education and leadership development training focused on social issues. We tailor our sessions to address the specific needs of your community and constituents, ensuring that your organization's causes are effectively advanced. Through dynamic keynotes, panel participation, presentations and interactive workshops, we engage participants, fostering an environment of learning and growth. We emphasize the importance of aligning actions with organizational missions and values, helping your team to stay true to its core principles while driving positive change.
Organizational Consulting
We support the creation and revamping of systems, which can include conducting data analysis, and writing an array of reports. We understand that for an organization to function well, robust systems must be in place. However, we also recognize that system changes impact staff. Therefore, we offer change management support to ensure that staff are heard and included in the journey of change.
Executive Coaching
We provide 1:1 support for leadership development, communication, and team leadership. We assist individuals in navigating career choices, helping them make aligned decisions. ​ Organizations can hire us to support their staff leaders, either individually or as a team. We ensure leaders meet their organizational goals while effectively leading and developing their teams and programs.
Our Story
It all started in February 2014 when Ivonne Ramirez-DeBlois, the founder, was presenting at a conference on how to empower and provide social emotional support to survivors of sexual assault. After the presentation, students, administrators, and nonprofits reached out asking how they could bring that program to their constituents. From that moment Ivonne has been working with nonprofit organizations, college students and college administrators and leaders to help move forward important social justice changes in organizations and support those on the front-line to put on their mask before helping others.
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When Elevating Authenticity first started Ivonne would work on projects alongside her pup, Bella who would also travel with her. Bella passed away in 2021. To memorize her, Ivonne named the organization to B & I, for Bella and Ivonne. In the summer of 2024, Ivonne renamed the organization to Elevating Authenticity to align the name with the mission and purpose.
Our Team
Through small but mighty, B&I Consulting could not function without the support of the our additional team members.
