Hello! I'm Elleka Yost, ASBO International's Director of Advocacy & Research. I am responsible for managing ASBO International’s federal advocacy program, PR/media relations, and grant-funded projects and supporting our team on various research, education, and communications initiatives. I love educating members about federal news and policies impacting their schools and teaching them how to advocate for their district on Capitol Hill. I also enjoy working with our marketing team to curate content for ASBO’s many publications.

I am a lifelong learner, avid world traveler, big foodie, and proud nerd! At George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, I studied political science, public policy, business, and Chinese language. During my college career, I lived abroad in China and attended Beijing Language and Culture University for a year, and I taught English as a second language to PreK and 4th grade Chinese students. I fell in love with traveling since then and have explored many other areas in China as well as Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Turkey, and the Republic of Georgia. In my spare time, I enjoy gaming with my husband (PS4, PS5, XBOX, Switch, or PC – we don’t pick favorites in our household).

Even though I’ve been with ASBO for over a decade, I am still amazed at how much there is to learn about school finance and education policy every day. (There is never a dull moment in the world of school business!) I love working with our members and helping them ensure students have the resources they need to learn, and grow to become successful, engaged citizens of our global community.

Please reach out if you ever need anything. I am always happy to help!