Lena Ballantine, MBA, SCM

Since joining the National Council in January 2023 as chief of operations and transformation, Lena Ballantine, MBA, SCM, has been co-developing the long-term vision and advising on operational priorities that best serve the needs of all National Council departments and programs. Her role entails overseeing the organization’s infrastructure transformation and partnership of its finance, contracts, administration and technology departments to ensure smooth operations and set the National Council up for significant future growth.  

Ballantine has 20 years of experience as an international nonprofit and operations leader. She has overseen multiple functional departments, developed and implemented long-range strategic and operational plans and advocated for and led diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts. Having worked predominantly in LGBTQ+ mental health and virtual care, including at FOLX Health Inc. and The Trevor Project, she has seen firsthand the impact lack of mental health support can have on communities, especially when accelerated by stressful physical and social environmental factors.

In addition to receiving a bachelor’s degree in economic management from Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin and Master of Business Administration in global management from Temple University Japan, Ballantine holds SCRUM master and change management professional certifications.