Social Inclusion Virtual Roundtable Series: Inclusive Tourism - Opportunities, Risks, and Strategies in a Changing Political Landscape

Elle Arlook leads APCO’s Equity & Justice practice, a division of APCO Impact. In this role, she advises clients on strategies that go beyond traditional DE&I to center principles of equity and justice across the business internally and externally. She guided some of the firms’ largest clients through the converging crises of the pandemic and the refueled racial justice movement, helping them adapt to a new normal for corporate advocacy.

Elle has a depth of experience in supporting corporate, non-profit and association clients navigating complex issue environments at the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. Prior to this role, she led strategic advisory and omnichannel communications efforts within APCO’s corporate practice. She has worked on clients that range from household names like Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, McCormick and CarMax to lesser-known, highly regulated, billion-dollar companies and industries.

Elle’s leadership and contributions to the agency and her clients garnered her the recognition of Business Insider 2021 Rising Star, PR News’ 2018 Rising Star and contributed to the firm’s recognition as Ragan’s CSR & Diversity Awards 2021 CSR Agency of the Year.

Elle previously served as director at the Walker Marchant Group, a boutique multicultural public affairs and crisis communications firm in Washington, D.C. In this role, she managed national partnerships, strategic influencer engagement, multicultural communications, crisis and litigation communications, grassroots marketing and reputation management for clients including the National Urban League, Walgreens, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, Toyota, YMCA of the USA, and the Connecticut Health Foundation.

A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Ms. Arlook began her career in the labor movement as a field communications director for the AFL-CIO in Florida and Maine where she was responsible for equipping and inspiring American workers to take part in the electoral process. 

Akinyi Ochieng has a decade of expertise working with leading nonprofits, philanthropies and companies to design programs, initiatives and campaigns. Prior to joining APCO, Akinyi spent several years in the financial services industry, where she worked with fast-growing innovators Nova Credit and WorldRemit to design programs, initiatives and campaigns focused on economic mobility. 

Her insights on business, culture, and politics have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, BBC, African Business Magazine and the World Economic Forum.

Akinyi holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Political Science and African Studies from Yale University. She holds certificates in strategic philanthropy and social impact from the University of Cambridge’s Judge School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent in media under 40.

A frequent traveler, she has been to 35+ countries and was one of the lead authors of Expedia’s flagship 2024 inclusive travel study, Journeys for All.