Monica Almond Ph.D.

Dr. Monica Almond, founder of The Almond Group, is a government affairs professional who has spent most of her career advancing policy on behalf of historically underserved communities. As a strategic advisor and relationship-broker, Dr. Almond consults professionals who influence state and federal policy on leadership development and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to strengthen organizational culture and policymaking.

Dr. Almond has helped to shape and strategically-embed DEI best practices into both small and large government relations organizations over the past five years. As a result of her groundbreaking work in DEI, Dr. Almond was recognized by Women in Government Relations (WGR) as a Distinguished Member in 2019. An intentional leader and strategic bridge-builder, Dr. Almond led the planning and execution of the inaugural DEI symposium for the government affairs’ field in 2020. She served as a senior associate of policy development and government affairs, from 2013 to 2020, advancing equitable policies on behalf of historically underserved youth-informing a policy agenda while liaising with congressional staff, state legislatures, government agencies, educators, and other stakeholders.

Dr. Almond holds an Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management from Georgetown University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Howard University and a doctoral degree in education policy, evaluation, and reform from Claremont Graduate University.