Elihu Eli El is currently CEO at Progressive Innovation. He has close to 20 years of experience in software and system development, testing, and systems integration for a variety of defense and commercial applications. He grew up in Arkansas and moved to the Washington, D.C. metro area in 2004. He serves his community, family, and nation with humility and a deep respect for his responsibility in helping others achieve their goals. He is a designer and strategist with a passion for meaningful change, saving lives, and protecting the American way of life. He is dedicated to reducing poverty and promoting socially sustainable innovation, cultural understanding, and building productive relationships. He has a degree in Computer Science, but rather than simply focusing on implementing IT solutions, he focuses on solutions that answer the questions of "why" relationships are out of balance, "why" system inequalities exist, "why" are there obstacles standing in the way of transformative change, and "what" appropriate remedies are required to address these issues.
El is passionate about developing products and services that address complex mission focused problems. He brings ingenuity, simplicity, and humanity to the industry of software and systems engineering. He enjoys working in organizations that strive to have a good balance between doing it right and moving quickly. He believes that innovation is powered by perspective and that teamwork and respect for each other will lead to excellent results. He can take in a lot of disparate information and find common themes, recommend clear paths forward, and iterate along the engineering path. He doesn't form opinions and sell it as if it's gospel. He is all about structure, but well capable of being flexible, agile, dependable, and responsive in the face of many moving parts. He thrives in environments where collaboration and openness are valued.
El focusses on social injustice, mitigating family dysfunction, promoting social transformation, and the study of cultural anthropology. His zeal for serving marginalized and underrepresented groups has been demonstrated by his 17+ years of progressive service and working with diverse populations. Through education, his cultural awareness and fervor to influence positive change within government entities heightened. He brings knowledge of local cultural belief systems, values, and customs that define what solutions are most appropriate.
Last Updated: March 22, 2026
