Meet the Founder
Mona Elleithee Sullivan has facilitated learning for students, teachers, and leaders across the country for over twenty years. Her craftsmanship as a master teacher has educators leaving Mona’s professional-development sessions asking for more. Modeling best practices as she delicately leads discussions on difficult topics, Mona is celebrated for the compassionate way she assists educators with reflecting on and connecting their own backgrounds to their current beliefs and practices without shame, blame, criticism, or judgment.
Mona’s talent as an educator has garnered her many accolades. In 2008 she was honored with the Circle of Friends Award by A Better Way, Inc. in Columbia, South Carolina, after her service-learning class collaborated with Project Gang-Out to lead workshops for young people wishing to escape gang life. In 2011 she was named Dreher High School's Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for Richland County School District One’s Teacher of the Year. She also received Richland One’s Customer Care Champion Award in 2011. Because of her service on the U.S. Department of Education’s Task Force to Advance Cultural and Global Competencies, the District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties school board honored Mona with the School Board Spotlight award in October 2016.
Throughout her career, Mona has been committed to teaching about diversity. She earned her certification as a “One Voice” Diversity Trainer while serving on the staff of the National Council for Community and Justice’s award-winning Anytown Program from 1995 – 2007. During that time, in October of 2002, she was recognized by the Pima County Attorney’s Office as an Outstanding Race & Anti-Violence Trainer. In 2003 she led the YWCA of Tucson’s “It’s Time to Talk” Youth Forums on Race as the program coordinator and facilitator. Mona served as the Youth & Staff Diversity Trainer at Community High School in West Chicago, Illinois, in 2007. She also has led cultural competency training sessions for the faculty and staff at several South Carolina schools.
Mona holds a Bachelors degree in English Literature and Composition along with a Masters in Secondary Education. Prior to teaching high school English Language Arts in South Carolina, she taught in Arizona and Illinois. In 2009 she became a National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts for Adolescence and Young Adulthood and renewed her certification in 2019. Additionally, she worked as Irmo High School’s Behavioral Interventionist from August 2018 - January 2020. After passionately serving in Title I schools for eighteen years, Mona founded Renewed Harmony LLC, to realize her vision for every student and staff member to belong and grow within safe schools led by authentic leaders who utilize research-based practices to reach desired outcomes together. Mona currently serves as a statewide educational consultant for the South Carolina Department of Education and a supervisor of pre-service secondary English Language Arts interns for the University of South Carolina. Additionally, after completing a Level 1 IFS training in 2023, Mona was invited to join the inaugural cohort of IFS Leadership Fellows.
Mona has utilized her leadership expertise to serve her community. In the six years she worked as student council advisor in Arizona, Illinois, and South Carolina, Mona volunteered alongside her students. She has served on the boards of the Family Counseling Agency in Tucson, Arizona, and the University of Arizona Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. She currently serves on the board of the Sandlapper Singers. As a certified cognitive coach, Mona motivates leadership teams, educators, and students to make collaborative self-directed decisions. Thus, Mona inspires those she works with to mobilize and take action as empowered advocates and activists.