Balungile Belz

Balu Belz is a community strategist, operator, and angel investor. She currently serves as Director of Community & Growth at The WIE Suite where she leads growth, retention, and member experience within a high-touch network of senior women leaders. She is also the creator and host of the podcast and newsletter, Founding Mothers.

Previously, she managed Member Experience and Enterprise Partnerships at Chief, contributing to the growth of the women-focused executive network during its scale to unicorn status. She was also CEO of Birth Order, a maternal wellness platform centered on brand partnerships, coaching, and community for modern parents. Her background spans partnerships, client services, and communications, with experience in creative agency environments serving clients including McDonald’s, State Farm, Toyota, Butterball, and the YMCA of the USA. Earlier in her career, she led communications and supported fundraising at GlobeMed, and launched Civics Academy, a youth-focused civic education initiative, while working with the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

Balu holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts (Honours), and Master of Arts in International Relations from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Originally from Mbombela, Mpumalanga, she currently resides in Indiana.