Women To Watch Awards 2026 honors Dr. Elissa Peterson

Dr. Elissa Peterson is an experienced board director, boardroom advisor, and cross sector executive with more than 30 years of leadership across media, publishing, behavioral health, information intelligence, and professional services. She operates at the strategic intersection of corporate governance, behavioral science, culture leadership, and enterprise growth, offering boards an integrative approach to oversight, risk management, and long term value creation.

As both an author and behavioral scientist, Dr. Peterson brings a deep understanding of organizational psychology, emotional intelligence, leadership behavior, and human dynamics, capabilities increasingly essential to modern board oversight. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Health Leadership, adding a research based, human centered lens to her governance approach.

Dr. Peterson currently serves as Chair of the Board for Cues for Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring hope and supporting individuals and families impacted by cancer through community centered creative engagement and national programming. In this role, she provides governance leadership across board effectiveness, mission stewardship, strategic growth, and stakeholder engagement while helping guide the organization’s next phase of national expansion and community impact.

Professionally, Dr. Peterson serves as Head of Board and Executive Engagement for the Outstanding Directors Exchange (ODX) at the Financial Times, where she engages directly with public company directors, corporate secretaries, CHROs, general counsels, and governance leaders. Her work focuses on convening and advancing high stakes governance conversations around culture risk, CEO evaluation, succession planning, stakeholder expectations, and modern board oversight. This role places her at the center of real time governance challenges confronting Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, providing a perspective shaped by fiduciary responsibility, complex decision making, and enterprise accountability.

Dr. Peterson previously served as a Board Director for Center for the Heart, a behavioral health and community impact nonprofit, where she provided governance leadership across program oversight, mission stewardship, and strategic planning. She currently continues her service to the organization as an Advisory Board member, advising on governance practices, growth strategy, and institutional credibility.

Under her pen name Elissa Gabrielle, she is a national best selling author, award winning publisher, and the visionary founder of Peace in the Storm Publishing, one of the first Black owned publishing houses to achieve national cultural recognition. Over two decades she has published more than 200 titles, developed the careers of more than 30 authors, and built a literary institution known for narrative sovereignty, cultural influence, and excellence in Black storytelling. She was honored at the African American Literary Awards for 20 years of groundbreaking contribution and named ICON of the Year.

Dr. Peterson is widely recognized for her ability to align growth with purpose, build platforms that elevate leadership visibility, and guide institutions through cultural transformation with clarity, empathy, and strategic foresight.