WE Ascend

Ife proudly wears the title of a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, and a 5th generation entrepreneur. She believes that “Leadership is a Lifestyle” and is dedicated to expanding individuals’ capacity to bring their very best selves to every aspect of their lives. She is a thought leader and compassionate coach with over 15 years of experience working with organizations, communities, education institutions, and nonprofits, to increase business performance and develop strategies that focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She is known as an organizational leader who can create effective strategies to increase outcomes in multiple industries. Her career track shows measurable success working with organizations and C-level leaders to increase business performance, developing strategies that focus on leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion across all levels of an organization in her role as the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for To Be, LLC. Ife’s academic credentials include a master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change and a certified John Maxwell Coach. Her passion for providing guidance and effective solutions has driven her to pursue a Doctorate in Organizational Development and Change from Bowling Green State University. She graduates in the summer of 2023.

She is at her best when fostering strong relationships, facilitating learning and development to strengthen overall business performance by leveraging people power and diversity to create a competitive advantage for organizations. By blending her academic expertise with her passion, leadership, and business acumen, Ife has championed initiatives that have contributed to significant leadership performance increases, reduced costs, increased staff capacity, and enhanced company culture of belonging for entire organizations. In addition, she is highly experienced in developing relationships with executive-senior level leadership, women leaders, and community leaders around the globe while identifying areas of growth and executing strategies that allow for positive change.

As a leader, multiple organizations have relied on Ife to create, develop and facilitate learning, cultivate highperforming leaders, coach, foster strong relationships, and streamline processes to strengthen overall organizational performance. Her attention to detail, communication, and inclusive big-picture thinking provide the essential support needed to drive outcomes. Ife has delivered on such results by launching the first district-wide student leadership and girl’s leadership program for Cincinnati Public Schools, facilitating Strengths-Based Leadership for executive leaders in the Cincinnati Chamber WE Lead, Xavier University Executive MBA, the To Be Black Women Founders Circle, and the People of Excellence Black Women Educators Circle. In addition, she has lead training and workshops at organizations and international conferences, including the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University, Designed Learning MasterClass with Peter Block, Cincinnati Public Schools, Institute for Educational Leadership, Girls Leadership Institute, and StriveTogehter.

She is an avid reader, keynote speaker, international traveler, global philanthropist, and community advocate. She serves on the YMCA Camp Ernest Board, is the chair of the Kaleidoscope Collaborative Institute, and is the Chief of Friendship for the Tamale, Ghana Sister Cities. She is also an active member of her church, the Organizational Development Network, Black Achievers, Society for Human Resource Management, and the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute.