Avani Services CEO Natasha Cox Named to Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 in Education

New Orleans Entrepreneur Recognized for Advancing How Organizations Build and Sustain High-Performing Teams

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Forbes has named Natasha Cox, CEO & Owner of Avani Services, to its 2026 30 Under 30 list in Education, recognizing her work building practical leadership training and performance improvement programs for organizations across the United States.

Founder Background and Company Origins
Natasha founded Avani in New Orleans after working in training-focused startups through Venture for America, where she saw firsthand the gap between leadership theory and what teams actually need to perform in complex, real-world environments. That experience shaped Avani's focus on applied, systems-based approaches to organizational development.

Organizational Impact and Scale
Today, Avani partners with federal agencies, mission-driven organizations, and commercial clients to design leadership training, executive coaching, and performance improvement solutions that strengthen communication, accountability, and organizational success. Training more than 500 leaders each year, the firm supports clients nationwide, ranging from small businesses to federal teams, including ongoing contracts with the Department of Defense.

Avani's programs are designed to support organizations as they scale, adapt, and evolve, aligning training, development, and strategy with operational realities. This systems-level focus enables teams to maintain accountability and effectiveness even as roles, priorities, and demands change.

As teams face increasing complexity and change, Avani's work reflects a broader shift toward designing systems that support performance as part of everyday operations, rather than relying on isolated interventions.

"Performance improves when organizations design systems that help people do their best work," Natasha said. "Our goal is to build the training, strategy, and support that teams need to perform at a higher level."

Education and Recognition
Natasha earned a degree in Political Science from Barnard College of Columbia University with a concentration in leadership. A member of the Forbes Business Council, she is a graduate of Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program and was a 2025 finalist for the Moxie Award recognizing boldness in business.

Natasha is nationally recognized for advancing practical, applied approaches to organizational development that integrate strategy, technology, and human-centered design.

For more information about Avani Services and its work supporting organizational performance and leadership development, visit www.avaniservices.com.

SOURCE Avani Services