Ayana Fernandes Pilgrim, MBA, is a career development executive, educator, and certified Career & Life Transformation Coach with over 20 years of experience in higher education, corporate talent acquisition, and executive coaching. She is dedicated to expanding access to opportunity and preparing a diversity of talent for the future of work.

As Founder and CEO of The Talent Cornerstone Co., Ayana provides organizations with talent strategy and innovation consulting while coaching individuals through career and leadership transformation. She has served as a Career Development Advisor to Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability program, teaching Human-Centered Leadership. She is also a speaker on the future of work, ethical AI, and human-centered leadership.

Previously, at Vanguard, Ayana founded and led the Emerging Talent & Diversity Recruiting Strategy function, managing a $5.8 million budget and leading a team of more than 20 professionals. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Director and Adjunct Faculty at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where she integrated career readiness into the student experience.

Ayana holds an MBA in Human Resource Management and a BA in Government and International Relations from Clark University. She also completed Harvard Business School’s Summer Venture in Management Program and LEAD Executive Leadership Development Program and has served on nonprofit boards focused on workforce development.

Drawn to Eastern University’s human-centered, Christ-centered mission, Ayana is eager to integrate innovation and faith into career education. As a member of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, she values Eastern’s commitment to preparing students for lives of purpose and excellence.