After touring full time as a jazz singer-songwriter for several years following her university studies, Ellen moved into programming in the arts, which then naturally led to fundraising. While she’d been grant writing and crowdfunding for her own music activities for many years, she’d never considered fundraising as a career path.
Fast forward a few years: she now works as the Interim Associate Director in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta and is passionate about connecting donors with meaningful opportunities to make a lasting impact in the community. She believes in advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion, not only in fundraising but in every facet of our lives.
Ellen also volunteers with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (Edmonton), with a jazz foundation/concert series, and runs an annual holiday fundraiser supporting different charities in Alberta.
Ellen is signed to record labels in Canada and Japan and is currently writing for her next album. When it’s safe to do so during the pandemic, she also still tours and performs regularly. She’s thrilled to be in the MPNL program at Carleton and looks forward to returning to campus at some point to catch a basketball game (she’s also a former Raven).
