Yelena M. Rivera Vale, a Puerto Rican native, has been the communications program manager at Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) since 2023. She joined Georgia Tech in 2014, initially working with Housing and Residence Life before progressing to roles such as web development and communications specialist. Yelena is an active member of HOLA, where she served as Employee Engagement Chair from 2021 to 2023 and is currently its P.E.O. She is a dedicated advocate for diversity, inclusivity, and belonging, focusing on promoting gender equality, sustainability, and well-being. In 2017, Yelena participated in the Inaugural Diversity and Inclusion fellows’ program, producing the podcast series Accent Stories and contributing to Transformative Narratives Audio Stories. From 2021 to 2022, she was a member of HRL’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force and co-chair of the Be-Well committee. She holds an M.A. in Communication Theory and Research from the Universidad de Puerto Rico and a B.A. in Communications TV and Film Production from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.