Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever is the Author of the award-winning book, How Exceptional Black Women Lead (March, 2016) and the Founder and CEO of the Exceptional Leadership Institute for Women, a Global Personal and Professional Development Firm grounded in the notion that the best leadership is diverse leadership.  AT ELI, Dr. Avis helps individuals and organizations deliver on the promise of diversity, equity, and inclusion through virtual and on-site training, live workshops & retreats and customized strategy development for enhanced recruitment, retention and ascension efforts.  In short, Dr. Avis helps both individuals and organizations maximize their potential for exceptional success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

Dr. Avis has had the honor of serving as the Keynote Speaker to President Obama’s Inaugural Young African Leaders Summit.  She’s also been featured at the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, and has trained women on leadership, political empowerment, and entrepreneurship on behalf of U.S. Embassies across the globe including places like Tanzania, Colombia, Fiji, Samoa and the Bahamas just to name a few.

As a prolific writer, Dr. Avis is the author or co-author of numerous publications, a selection of which include:  The State of Black Women in the U.S. 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017; Beyond Broke: Why Closing the Racial Wealth Gap is a Priority for National Economic Security; and Black Girls in New York:  Quiet Strength, Bold Resilience.

Dr. Avis is a regular Guest Hose and Contributor to TV One’s NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, PBS’ To the Contrary, Sirius XM Radio’s The Agenda, and the Huffington Post.  Her views have also been shared on a variety of additional outlets including CNN, C-Span, BET, NBC, BBC, NPR, the Washington Post, the Atlantic and many more.

Dr. Avis currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Black Women’s Blueprint, the Voter Participation Center, the Women’s Voices, Women’s Vote Action Fund, and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  She also serves as an Affiliated Scholar with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and as the Sr. Public Policy Advisor to the Black Women’s Roundtable.