A native of Russia who finished her studies there with a university degree in education, Elena Lokounia taught for five years in her native country. She got married and moved to France with her husband, where she lived for two years before moving to United States in 2000.

She continued her career in education – serving as a Russian teacher – at Robert Goddard French Immersion School in Lanham, MD. There she worked with Principal Kona-Facia Nepay, the foundress and chair of the board for Baltimore International Academy (BIA). “I am a product of language immersion education, and I have taught in a language immersion school,” she said.

Madame Lokounia began working at BIA in 2007. In addition to assembling and supervising the staff and working with the BIA Board and Baltimore City Public School oversight, Madame Lokounia helped to guide BIA through the International Baccalaureate (IB) application process.