Communications + PR Strategist, Runner, Entrepreneur, Runner 

Jay Ell Alexander is motivated by her passion for sparking a change in the minds and bodies of others through her serial entrepreneurial spirit. As owner and CEO of The Vaughn Strategy, a branding and public relations firm and Black Girls RUN!, a national running organization, she leads a powerful movement that has resonated with a huge audience. Over the last decade, she has established herself as a communications professional with a true commitment to community engagement through her passion for health and fitness. She is also the Founder of the BGR! Foundation, BGR! Junior,  C+J Investments and the Deborah Alexander Foundation. Black Girls RUN! has helped shift the consciousness of culture for over 250,000 African American women, encouraging them to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle through running, movement and community. It has also transformed the running community and aided in the diversification and increased participation in the sport of endurance distance running. 

Alexander has received national and international notoriety since the start of her tenure including partnerships with Saucony, Ford, Facebook, Brooks Running, REI, Fleet Feet and media coverage on NBC News, Good Morning America, ESSENCE and Ebony Magazine. A native of Norfolk, Va., Mrs. Alexander received her Communications degree from George Mason University and her Master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Nonprofit Executive Leadership program and a Certified Run Coach. 

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the chapter administrator for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a Board Member for Beyond Type1 (formerly JDRF). She serves a variety of community boards and has completed 4 marathons and 16 half marathons. She is an author of a children’s book to support mothers in their motherhood journey. She has been recognized by:
- Style Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40 (2024),
- Fabulous Female Fundraisers Madam CJ Walker Trailblazer Award (2024),
- George Mason University's Black Alumni 40 Under 40 (2023),
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Omega Rho Omega Trailblazer Award (2021),
- iPower Richmond 30 under 30 (2017) and the,
- Rising Star Award by PRSA Richmond (2015).

Jay Ell and her husband Christopher celebrate their 11th wedding this year and they are the proud parents of 4-year-old, Chris, Jr. and 2 year old daughter, Jaycee. They are also proud pup parents to a 9-year-old black Lab, named Luna.