Elena Farah

Adjunct Faculty

Bio

Dr. Elena Farah is an experienced academic, public finance analyst, and nonprofit strategist with more than two decades of practice across the fields of public accountability, policy design, and global management education. With a career spanning academia, philanthropy, municipal finance, and social impact consulting, Elena brings a unique interdisciplinary lens to her work—fusing analytical rigor with a passion for teaching and innovation.

Currently Professor of Practice at the Department of Management and Leadership at the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, Elena designs and teaches cutting-edge undergraduate and graduate courses in International Business and Global Management. Her pedagogical approach is grounded in real-world policy challenges, bolstered by experience in hybrid, online, and in-person formats. Previously, she taught at the University of Houston's Political Science Department and the Nonprofit Management Master's Program at the University of Houston-Downtown, where she applied design thinking principles to nonprofit strategy and finance.

Prior to academia, Elena served as Director of Public Accountability at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. In this role, she led the identification and execution of high-impact philanthropic investments targeting systemic reform, including in pension sustainability and government accountability. Her earlier career at Moody's Investors Service in New York involved managing a portfolio of over 300 municipal credits.

Elena is a published thought leader whose commentary on public debt, pensions, and financial sustainability has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, various blogs, and on TV and radio.

Elena holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston, a Master of Public Affairs and an MA in East European and Eurasian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University. She is multilingual—fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and French. In her free time, Elena is working towards a Certificate of Achievement at the Glassell School of Art, with her oil paintings featured in local Houston galleries and shows. She enjoys yoga and travel, and resides in Houston, TX with her husband and two children.

Contact Info

Phone:

713-743-4660 

Email:

efarah@Central.UH.EDU

Room:

MH 310B

Website:

No Web Site Currently