Elle Ota is a dedicated nonprofit professional with a passion for defending democracy, human rights, and access to humanitarian aid in conflict zones. Born and raised in Southern California, Ota earned an MA in Anthropology and a BA in Archaeology and Classics from Stanford University, where she studied the international management and politicization of cultural heritage. She gained valuable experience with organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris and the International Rescue Committee in San Diego.
In 2020, Ota joined the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), a nonpartisan NGO focused on promoting democracy and human rights in closed societies. In her current role as a Program Officer, Ota directs HRF’s Oslo Scholars program and the College Freedom Forum, a series of events designed to connect university students with world-renowned human rights activists.
In 2022, Ota began volunteering on the ground in Ukraine, just months after Russia’s full-scale invasion. She now serves as Chief Strategy Officer and Board Member of Renegade Relief Runners (3xR), which delivers humanitarian aid to underserved communities in Ukraine, particularly villages located near the frontlines. Ota oversees the organization’s external strategy and development, advocates for Ukraine with US lawmakers, and contributes op-eds and blogs on the crisis.
It is a great privilege to post Elle into Convisero. I could not imagine a better person to shepherd and mature the Oslo Scholars which I created on behalf of Human Rights Foundation in 2010. She's a young woman that I knew possessed the integral qualities that resonate why I am privileged to be a strategic senior advisor for HRF: intelligence, integrity, and passion, for humanity and the eternal quest for justice and peace. We are working together closely to expand Oslo Scholars, most notably I will be working with Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela to bring it to Stellenbosch and linking the domestic chapters to the work that I am doing currently at Sai University and Krea University. It is not surprising to me but given her courage that she is involved with the Renegade Relief Foundation. We are also working closely to bring the College Freedom Forum back to Tufts University where I first created it. After 8 years, I will once again be programming together with Elle and Heather Barry, now the Special Adviser for Global Strategy and Student Initiatives at Tisch College where she is reviving the spirit and intellectual intensity of EPIIC in a year-long program on Democracy on the Brink.