Holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.A. in English from Monmouth University. In 2004, she founded and chaired the Southern Women’s Campaign School, a non-partisan organization that provides training and information for women seeking to run competitive campaigns. In 1995, she founded the Center for Regional Cooperation in Philadelphia and directed the Center from 1995 to 1998. Ellen served as a Pennsylvania State Legislator from 1990 to 1994, during which time she served on many committees, including: the Local Government Committee, Urban Affairs Committee, State Government Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, as well as the Pennsylvania State Planning Board. She co-authored the Pennsylvania Land Use Plan and also the Federal Standards for Manufactured Housing. Ellen and her husband, Ed, reside in West Tisbury and also in Charleston, South Carolina. She has served on the boards of many charitable organizations, including her current service at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Ellen served on the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation Board from 2013 to 2023
