Ilana Zafran Walden is a passionate leader with two decades of nonprofit and public sector experience. Ilana spent the first eight years of her career working directly with high school students and staff across the City of Chicago. From chaperoning multi day overnight college trips to supporting youth at (literally) all hours of the day; she knows first hand what it feels like to immerse your whole self into work.

In 2015, Ilana became a Mom for the first time and shifted from direct service work to operations and policy; with the (erroneous) assumption that her new role would lead to less burnout. However, she found that she was at the brink of burnout- even when not physically at work, her brain often was ruminating on countless work-related items; all of which felt high-stakes and urgent (and sometimes were). Through amazing peer supports, evidence-based interventions, mental and physical health professionals, ongoing learning and self-reflection, Ilana is now on a lifelong journey to do work that is deeply purposeful and fulfilling while not letting it consume her to the point of burnout.

In addition to her nonprofit strategy and operational expertise, Ilana also brings to Dharma Collaborative experience in transforming nonprofit culture to create healthier, more sustainable work environments. In her prior work as a nonprofit COO, Ilana worked to implement policies and organizational culture that mitigated burnout and supported a mentally and physically healthy workforce. During Ilana’s tenure as COO, staff satisfaction rose by 35% and the percentage of staff reporting that the organization supported their work-life balance doubled– from 45% to 92%. Ilana is also a trained restorative justice practitioner and facilitator, having spent a decade implementing and leading restorative justice practices in Chicago Public Schools. Throughout her career, she has utilized restorative practices in a variety of settings to build and sustain community.

She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from The College of Wooster, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and is a proud 2007 Alumni (and current Board member) of the Avodah Jewish Service Corps. In addition to her work with Dharma Collaborative, Ilana owns a social impact consulting practice, Forest Zafran Consulting LLC. Her practice focuses on strategy, change management, impact measurement, and organizational development. Because it brings her joy, Ilana also continues to provide restorative justice training and support to a small number of schools and districts across the country.

Ilana lives in Chicago with her husband and two school-age children. She enjoys cooking, reading, Peloton, being there for people she loves, and getting up at 4 a.m. so she can have quiet time before the rest of her family wakes up!