Meet the Leadership Team

Elena is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ad Astra. Her company was born out of her passion for promoting cultural understanding.

She began her career providing spoken language interpretation and language instruction services to high-level diplomats, schools, the Zenit soccer team, media organizations, and more. When she moved to the United States, she served in various language services management and business development roles.

Elena considers language interpretation, translation, and other related services necessary to facilitate communication among all people in all activities of their lives. Every day, she works harder to ensure Ad Astra’s services reflect the best offerings and current industry standards to serve the needs of both organizations and individuals.

I have spent my career building people operations that drive performance and growth. My journey began at Capital One Bank, where I supported compensation, talent management, and employee relations across multiple teams. Later, my time in the U.S. Army strengthened my leadership, discipline, and commitment to developing others.

Over the years, I have led HR strategy at Amazon, DynCorp International, Ally Financial, BitGo, and Sagent, focusing on workforce planning, diversity and inclusion, and leadership development. These experiences shaped my approach to creating workplaces where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to perform at their best.

As Director of Human Resources Operations at Ad Astra, I focus on aligning people strategy with organizational goals, driving engagement, and building cultures of trust and accountability. I hold a Bachelor’s in Human Resources Management from DeVry University and a Master’s in Training and Development from Webster University.

Gbenga is responsible for Ad Astra’s financial affairs, and he works closely with the accounting team to ensure all transactions are recorded accurately in accordance with GAAP. He also helps develop and monitors the budget, and areas of financial risk. In his free time he loves cooking and spending time with his family.

Nico has a background in Business Administration, and he enjoys helping Ad Astra create jobs around the world. When he’s not working, he likes going to concerts and camping. You can also find him skydiving on any given Saturday. He is an avid adventurer and loves to push himself to try new things.

Nico has also founded his owns 

I build intelligent systems that connect people, data, and decisions. My career began in engineering and evolved into artificial intelligence, where I focus on creating scalable technologies that solve complex business challenges.

Over the past decade, I have led AI and engineering projects across industries, from manufacturing and finance to enterprise technology. At Tarjama, I designed and deployed ArabicAI, a large language model platform for translation and content generation. Earlier at Accenture, I built multi-agent systems and LLM-based applications for clients in banking, telecom, and the public sector.

As Director of Technology and Innovation at Ad Astra, I lead the company’s efforts in AI architecture, automation, and emerging technologies that enhance performance and deliver measurable impact.

John has extensive experience in recruiting, HR, and operations. Before joining Ad Astra he worked for an interfaith, intercultural nonprofit and has had experience recruiting in a university setting. He enjoyed assisting young people with finding their passion and path in life. In his free time, John enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring ghost towns in the New Jersey pine barriers.

I am a dynamic professional committed to delivering exceptional customer support and building robust relationships. My passion for continuous learning and development enables me to empower clients, helping them achieve their objectives through strategic collaboration and applying my diverse experience across multiple sectors.
With a proven track record of managing global operations and leading customer success initiatives, I have cultivated a rich network of contacts and developed invaluable tools. These resources are instrumental in guiding clients and uncovering new business opportunities, positioning me to drive growth and success effectively.

With over a decade of experience in the translation industry, Emily first started her career as a freelance German translator. She holds a degree in translation studies from the University of Chicago and enjoys volunteering as a mentor to other localization students who are following in her footsteps. She has a vast background in supporting both government and Fortune 500 corporate clients. Emily is based out of the windy city of Chicago. Outside of work, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. She enjoys traveling, gardening and reading.. As a foodie, she loves discovering new restaurants of any cuisine in the city.

Paris has over 17 years of award-winning expertise in language translation leadership, operation management and customer satisfaction in the private and government sectors. She speaks 5 languages fluently and has a track record of garnering accolades from Fortune 500 customers, galvanizing team performance, leading a military linguistics training program, and serving as a change catalyst in advancing service quality. She is a US Army veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, and former Command Language Program Manager of her unit with 4 years of experience serving as a Non-Commissioned Officer in charge (SGT- E5) at Fort Irwin, CA, and a recent graduate from Stern School of Business NYU with an Executive MBA degree. 

Vadim has had 5 years of experience in operations and sales at Ad Astra. He is the current leader of the corporate sales team and hopes to continue growing the company. During his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, hiking and riding his motorcycle. He has been known to look for treasure in antique shops from time to time.

Amparo started working as an interpreter in 2010 and has worked in various sectors, including court interpreting. She also has a background in finance and IRS work. Amparo is Ad Astra’s head of training and quality control department. When she is not all business, cars, motorcycles, basketball, and soccer are her passion. Loves to travel and learn from different cultures.

I design and manage digital products that simplify workflows and help teams work smarter. My background spans data analytics and SaaS product management, where I focus on turning user needs into scalable solutions.

Before joining Ad Astra as Product Specialist, I led B2B SaaS products at Salesflo, expanding adoption across four countries and introducing AI-powered automation features that reduced manual effort by over 60%. I also led product lifecycle management from ideation to launch, improving user engagement and overall performance.

At Ad Astra, I focus on shaping product strategy, streamlining user experiences, and ensuring that technology aligns with client needs. My work centers on translating feedback into actionable roadmaps that enhance efficiency, usability, and value.

I lead marketing and growth, focusing on strategies that build visibility, engagement, and measurable results across SaaS and language service platforms. My background blends digital marketing, analytics, and growth systems to create clear and data-backed marketing strategies

Before this role, I managed global initiatives at DigitalOcean and Cloudways, leading SEO, paid media, and content strategies for international audiences. My academic foundation in marketing and data analysis supports a performance-driven approach to scaling brands and optimizing conversion paths

At Ad Astra, I focus on connecting strategy with impact along with building full-funnel marketing systems that strengthen brand presence, generate qualified leads, and support the company’s expansion into technology-driven communication solutions