Abbiola Ballah is an equity and inclusion consultant, mentor, and speaker, and founder of Phern Education Studios. She founded Phern Education Studios to be a catalyst for change in the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) space by prioritizing not just learning but taking action.

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Abbiola has lived internationally in Japan, the USA, and Belize for more than 20 years and worked as an educator and program designer for more than 17 years, giving her a unique lens through which she approaches equity and inclusion.

Abbiola works primarily with values-driven leaders and organizations, who are working beyond borders making an impact, to intentionally center equity and inclusion into their business and workplaces.

She is also currently a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Database of DEI Practitioners that have been tasked to serve on panels evaluating the inclusion plans of scientific proposals submitted.

Previously, Abbiola applied an equity and inclusion lens to help revise the Standards of Good Practice of Education Abroad in collaboration with the Forum on Education Abroad, which is recognized by the US Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission—as the organization for setting the standards for education abroad programs internationally.

Abbiola is a dynamic speaker who has spoken at the CMX Summit: Thrive, Yellow Co. Values Summit, and at private universities, in business masterminds, and online communities. She has been featured in Feminist Entrepreneurs Magazine (FEM) as well as on several podcasts and talk shows.

She studied International Education Management at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Applied Linguistics & TESOL at the University of Leicester in the UK, and Communication Arts at St. Francis College, New York.

Abbiola is an avid reader, travel nerd, theater buff, and Japanese karaoke queen.