Dr. Ilene Winokur is a professional development specialist with a focus on mentoring and coaching teachers and school leaders globally including refugee teachers. Ilene has been active in learning innovation for over 25 years and is passionate about narratives related to belonging. Prior to retiring in 2019, she was a teacher and administrator at the elementary and pre-college levels for 25 years specializing in teaching English learners.
Ilene hosts a podcast and blogs about her personal journey to belonging in Buffalo, NY, where she grew up, and Yarmouk, Kuwait where she has lived since 1984. Both focus on the importance of feeling a sense of belonging, the subject of her book, Journey to Belonging: Pathways to Well-Being. A companion book with additional strategies and lesson ideas, Finding Your Pathway to Belonging in Education was published in February 2023.