At IBM’s Government and Regulatory Affairs, Yelena is responsible for managing global workforce policy issues, including employee benefits and paid leave as well as emerging technology workforce policies. Before joining the workforce policy team, she served on IBM’s congressional relations team supporting direct Capitol Hill advocacy and relationship building to advance the company’s public policy priorities.

Prior to joining IBM, she spent over a decade working on Capitol Hill in various capacities helping advance legislative priorities on behalf of diverse constituencies in her home state of Minnesota. Previously, Yelena managed international development programs at the International Republican Institute (IRI) where she administered educational trainings for Iraqi parliamentary staff. Yelena received her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Minnesota and a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. She and her husband and daughters live in Takoma Park, Maryland.