Akaya Windwood

Akaya Windwood has been the President of Rockwood Leadership Institute, the nation’s largest provider of transformative leadership trainings for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, since 2008. She is nationally recognized as an expert in elevating the effectiveness of leadership and collaboration in the nonprofit and social benefit sectors. Windwood leads trainings nationally and internationally, and has more than 30 years experience cultivating social change leaders and women leaders.

Before coming to Rockwood Leadership Institute, she was the founder and President of in common, a multicultural consultation firm, and co-founder of the Women's National Leadership Project, a training program for women focused on developing leadership, communication, and cross-cultural community building. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Destiny Arts Center and the National Progressive Leadership Campus.

Windwood has been a featured speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, SXSWEco, Social Venture Network Conference, Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Nonprofit Management Institute, and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. She is the recipient of an Ella Award from the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and a Transformative Leadership Award from the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation. Her writing has been featured in Yes! Magazine.

Follow her on twitter @AkayaWindwood