As Communications Manager, Ellie (she/they) manages Kids First Chicago’s website, newsletters, communications strategy, and media relations. She comes to Kids First Chicago with a background in communications, project management, and sociology research from her time in academia and at non-profits. Most recently, Ellie managed the externally-facing communications and press relations at The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, working to build more inclusive, accessible services that meet the needs of gender-based violence survivors throughout Illinois.
Previously, Ellie project managed a report on Equity and Innovation for the Cambridge Community Foundation, focused on growing racial inequities amid the innovation sector’s expansion in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For many years, Ellie has been deeply invested in the education ecosystem in Chicago and Massachusetts, tutoring and teaching kids and adults in math, science, English, sociology, transformative justice, and art. They have also worked in sociology of medicine, nuclear arms control policy and history, science and technology policy, neuroethics, neurotechnology history, and international development.
Ellie holds an undergraduate degree in international studies from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in technology policy from MIT. They are thrilled to be back in Chicago, with their pup, enjoying the lakefront, community organizations, arts scene, board games, volleyball, and general nerdery.