Andrea Ellis is a leader, educator, producer, dreamer of big things, and a believer in the power of collective action. With over 20 years of experience in program development, management, and implementation, she is currently the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In this role, Ms. Ellis orchestrates and coordinates high-level operational, financial, planning, and strategic areas of the Impact and Strategy team, acting as an integration manager for internal and external program-related activity.
A native Kansas Citian, Ms. Ellis joined the foundation after serving as the project lead for the Kansas City Royals Literacy League and the Kansas City STEM Alliance’s ecosystem initiative, STEMConnectKC. Before this work, Ms. Ellis was the Director of Strategic Learning at the Kansas City Public Library where she led a team to integrate best practices in out-of-school time learning into the library setting. This culminated in a facilities renovation to build the Kansas City Digital Media Lab – a creation/maker space for teens ages 12-19; it is a part of the national YOUmedia Network.
Prior to the library, Ms. Ellis spent a decade on the east coast. First in New York City, and then Washington, DC where she produced nationally broadcast television and radio spots for BET, served as founding Executive Director of the DC Film Alliance, directed the MHz Shortz Student Film Festival, and served as a media production trainer, outreach specialist, and content producer at Arlington Independent Media.
Ms. Ellis earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Rockhurst University and a master’s in Media Ecology from the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University. She is a believer in the ethos of the Badass Pollyanna, loves being a perfectly imperfect mother, and can dish all day about the original, Rod Serling, Twilight Zone.