About Us
Leslie K. Ritter-Jenkins
Leslie holds a bachelor's degree from Carleton College, and a master's degree from The University of Chicago Divinity School. She worked for 30 years in positions of associate and lead pastor in a mainline, progressive denomination contributing to pastoral care, programming, strategic planning and organizational development. She is committed to interfaith dialog. Leslie's studies in Bowen Family Systems and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) have provided effective tools in counseling individuals, teams and organizations. She completed her assessment and joined the worldwide network of Certified Trainers with the Center for Nonviolent Communication in April 2013. She enjoys gardening, reading, wine-tasting, swimming, yoga and gathering with friends and family.
"Nonviolent Communication creates for me a bridge between the fields of psychology, education and religion. At the heart of NVC is the language of human needs - central to these disciplines. 'Need language' has given me ease and understanding in cross-cultural, racial and other common divides. I enjoy facilitating workshops in NVC because it has brought me great joy and satisfaction in relationships and because I have seen its capacity to help individuals and organizations seed, grow and flourish."
~ Leslie
Myra Walden
Originally from Mexico, Myra Walden holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. She has practiced psychotherapy since 1991 and has offered workshops for mental health professionals since 1997. In 2000, Myra became a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication. She worked alongside Marshall Rosenberg, the developer of Nonviolent Communication, in multiple International Intensive Trainings. Myra co-founded the Institute for Empowering Communication and wrote Empowerment Therapy. She lives in West Chicago, Illinois where she enjoys people and nature.
Priti Sureka
Priti is an Empowerment Coach, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Certification Candidate, and HR leader with over 25 years of experience. Drawing on her leadership background and coaching skills, she supports clients in moving beyond survival to create lives that feel aligned, purposeful, and authentic. She integrates Ontological Coaching and NVC to help individuals reconnect with core values, identify deeper needs, and take meaningful, true-to-self action. With an MBA and training in Empowerment Practice under psychotherapist Myra Walden, Priti brings a compassionate, grounded presence. As a mother of two, she understands the complexities of balancing work, family, and self-care.
Simran Bhola
Simran has experience in developing creative content and branding strategies. During COVID-19, working as an Assurance Auditor at Ernst & Young, she realised her true passion for the development sector. To fulfil this passion she pursued a diploma from the Indian School of Development Management. She has always been keen to support organisations in developing effective communication strategies to share their work with the world. Simran earned a postgraduate degree in Content Writing and Digital Marketing. Now, at the Institute for Empowering Communication (IEC), she manages operations, updates the website, and crafts compelling content and marketing strategies. Simran believes in, and is happy to support IEC's work in the world. Concurrently, she is pursuing certification as an Empowerment Practitioner in order to help people build more fulfilling lives.