Ellen Palmer

About Ellen Palmer

Ellen is a visionary senior executive who has worked over 20 years to support transformative growth in organizations by bringing people together to develop and execute shared, innovative strategies that achieve outsized results. Respected for building and sustaining authentic, high-impact relationships across all stakeholders, Ellen is a catalyst for high-performing, goal-driven teams, and partnerships. Ellen has a deep knowledge of both the upside of positive perception and brand management, and how to mitigate reputational risk. She is known for recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent and for operating effectively at the intersection of the organization’s leadership, clients and donors, board members, and community leaders to have greatest impact on outcomes. At the Kennedy Center, Ellen was a strategic force in changing the nature of the corporate partnerships landscape. She navigated complex, high-stakes initiatives and built ambitious growth strategies that succeeded in greatly increasing the Kennedy Center’s brand, value, and revenue – fostering long-term partnerships that drove impact. Prior to her work at the Kennedy Center, Ellen was a consultant in strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and executive coaching. Ellen also has deep roots in the DC area, operating at the intersection of government, NGOs, lobbyists, the legal community, non-profits, and professional organizations.

Experience

1. Board of Directors

   Horton's Kids, Inc.

   May 2017 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Led full five-year strategic planning process aligning board, staff, and community stakeholders around measurable impact goals-Modernized governance structures and strengthened board oversight and accountability systems-Established performance measurement frameworks and strategic priorities supporting sustainable growth-Partnered with executive leadership to align fundraising, programming, and operations-Strengthened engagement with congressional offices and federal stakeholders to support priorities. Consultant | October 2014 – May 2017-Led organizational realignment initiatives, onboarding systems, and cultural improvements during a period of rapid growth-Designed and managed large-scale fundraising initiatives, expanding partnerships and increasing support.

Education

• Baylor University

  BA, Psychology

  1988 — 1992

• University of Houston

  M.Ed., Counseling Psychology

  1994 — 1996