Speaking
Insightful Keynotes on Innovation, Strategy & Operational Mastery
Dr. Ellington translates complex organizational dynamics into actionable insights. Drawing from his experience managing $11B P&Ls and leading global teams, he delivers powerful talks for boards, executive retreats, and industry conferences.
About Dr. Ellington as a Speaker
A Fortune 50 executive turned scholar-practitioner, Dr. Ellington brings the rare combination of deep academic grounding and the operational credibility that comes from having managed $11B P&Ls, led enterprise-wide agile transformations, and driven innovation at companies like Walmart, Anthem, and Capital One.
His talks are evidence-based, operationally grounded, and designed for senior leaders who need actionable frameworks—not motivational platitudes. He speaks as a practitioner who has led the work, not just studied it.
Signature Topics
Talks That Drive Action
The Science of Operational Excellence
How to leverage Lean Six Sigma and data science to reduce costs and optimize operations in both entrepreneurial and Fortune 50 environments. Drawing on his Master Black Belt expertise and real-world execution across multiple industries, Dr. Ellington provides a framework for embedding continuous improvement into organizational DNA—not as a project, but as a management operating system.
Innovation at Scale: From Idea to Execution
Strategies for utilizing crowdsourcing, design thinking, and agile methodologies to foster a culture of innovation. Based on real-world success leading a 50+ project portfolio at Anthem and ML-driven pricing optimization at Walmart, this talk equips leaders with a practical playbook for moving from innovation theater to measurable enterprise impact.
Leading Through Disruption: M&A and Cultural Transformation
A playbook for aligning leadership, minimizing business disruption, and ensuring organizational readiness post-acquisition. Dr. Ellington draws on his experience navigating large-scale reorganizations at Fortune 50 companies to deliver a framework grounded in change management science and operational pragmatism.
AI-Powered Decisioning in the C-Suite
How senior leaders can harness predictive modeling, machine learning, and economic analysis to empower strategic planning and execution. This is not a technology overview—it is a leadership framework for integrating AI into enterprise decision-making, designed for executives who need to understand the strategic implications without getting lost in the technical weeds.
Industries Served
Trusted Across Sectors
Healthcare & Health Benefits • Financial Services • Retail • Automotive • Construction • Technology • Government • Nonprofit
In twenty years of board service, I have worked with some of the finest strategic advisors in the country. Jelani stands apart because he speaks both languages fluently - the language of the boardroom and the language of the shop floor. His AI adoption framework gave our executive team the conceptual clarity and governance structure we needed to move from conversation to execution.