Elena Shahnaian

Elena Shahnaian, Founder & CEO

Elena was born in the Republic of Georgia, moved to the United States with her family at five years old. Her passion for people was evident from a young age, believing that everyone deserves a chance at their biggest dreams. Elena’s stance is that, no matter what someone’s past has been, it takes just one person to believe in their greatest dreams, some often unrealized for many years.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Qualified, Elena believes strongly in human resilience, promoting confidence through education and custom-fit mentor relationships provided to every client. She holds a BA in Social Work, MBA and MA in Education, and additionally has a background in fundraising and development. The passion felt by Elena is what motivates her to be the key to those big, unapproachable doors that lead to the dreams held by the clients at Qualified. She considers it a great honor to work among such strong, compassionate and intelligent women, both clients and mentors alike, daily pursuing her calling of matching each individual key to its unique (dream) door.