An ISE&S platform

Built by ISE&S.
Designed for opportunity.

xEllerator is created and led by the Institute for Social Equity & Sustainability. We turn research on gender equity into practical mentoring and sponsorship that help women move into STEM leadership.

ISE&S Our institute

Equity is the starting point.

The Institute for Social Equity & Sustainability (ISE&S) built xEllerator to put its research into practice: helping organisations make access to mentors, sponsors and leadership opportunities part of everyday work.

ISE&S is a nonprofit research institute in New Jersey, founded in 2021, that works on social equity. Its board includes researchers at John Jay College (CUNY), Rutgers, Kean University, Suffolk University and the College of Charleston.

Meet ISE&S (opens in a new tab)
Background

The leadership gap

A US Census Bureau report from 2021 found that women were 27% of STEM workers in the US in 2019. Women in the Workplace 2025, from McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, found that 93 women were promoted to manager for every 100 men.

In a 2025 study, Dr. Sarah-Lee Boodoo, who is on the ISE&S board, interviewed senior women managers about why few women reach management and C-suite roles. The study called for formal mentoring programmes, sponsorship for women and accountability in the organisation.

“Data analysis identified three thematic barriers: unequal work-life integration, evaluation systems favoring male-dominated norms, and insufficient mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for women.”

From the abstract of Boodoo, S.-L. (2025), A qualitative study examining the underrepresentation of women in managerial and C-suite roles. Doctoral dissertation, California Southern University.

In xEllerator, HR runs the mentoring in cycles. The app proposes mentor matches, and HR releases or withholds each one. Mentors log what they do as sponsors, such as an introduction or putting someone forward for a stretch assignment. The Equity page counts these for each group and marks a group whose figure is well below the figure for everyone. How it works has the detail.

Our people

ISE&S leadership

ISE&S board members bring experience in social equity, gender research, organisational change and communication to xEllerator. They guide the programme and support the organisations and participants taking part in the pilot.

Dr. Deborah Mohammed‑Spigner

Social equity research

ISE&S founding board

  • Doctorate in Public Administration, Rutgers University
  • Six years as a research scientist for the State of New Jersey, where she led the team that wrote a state agency's strategic plan
  • Two elected terms on her local board of education, where she chairs the equity committee
  • Appointed in 2020 to her town's Mayor's Equity Commission, which reviewed policing practices

Dr. Sarah‑Lee Boodoo

Gender equity research

ISE&S board

  • Wrote the 2025 study quoted above, for her Doctor of Business Administration at California Southern University
  • Master of Business Administration, and Master of Science in Finance
  • More than eight years in operations management and strategic planning

Michelle A. Nelson

Change management

ISE&S board · CEO, Ascend Strategic Communications

  • Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership, Seton Hall University
  • Three federal awards
  • Has worked with organisations through public health crises, mergers, acquisitions, new technology and relocation

Amina Sylva

Brand strategy

ISE&S board · CEO, Commblaze

  • Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication, Northeastern University
  • Produced special reports for Voice of America News and the United Nations
  • Ran communications training for executives and UN leaders
The research

A foundation in equity research

Research by ISE&S board members informs the mentoring and sponsorship xEllerator supports. Their work explores gender equity, public leadership and the barriers that keep women from advancing.

Publications by ISE&S board members

The full list is on the ISE&S publications page.

Apply for a pilot place

The pilot is for up to 20 organisations and runs for 8 to 12 weeks. It is free and there is no contract. Each organisation gets a written report at the end about its matches, meetings, feedback and gaps.

Have a question? Contact the programme team.

Apply for the pilot