Ellen LaPointe is a seasoned nonprofit executive who has held C-suite and other senior leadership roles in organizations focused on LGBTQIA+/HIV health care, research and advocacy; philanthropy; technology-centered approaches to advancing well-being; law; and intersectional equity and social justice throughout her career. Ellen’s national practice at NPAG includes retained executive search in philanthropy and in legal and health-focused nonprofits, board and executive level strategic advisory services, succession planning, executive coaching, and outplacement support.

Most recently, Ellen was Chief Executive Officer of Fenway Health, a $145 million, 600-person nonprofit that advocates for and delivers innovative, equitable, accessible health care, supportive services, and transformative research and education to over 33,000 LGBTQIA+ people and people from other underserved communities annually. Prior to joining Fenway, Ellen was President and Chief Executive Officer of Northern California Grantmakers, a nonprofit that brings together Bay Area philanthropy to advance the common good, and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at HopeLab, a nonprofit founded by The Omidyar Group that develops technology-based approaches to advance health and well-being in young people. She has served on several nonprofit boards throughout her career, including YW Boston, the United Philanthropy Forum, Lambda Literary, and OneJustice.

Ellen is a strategist, a highly relational connector, and a skilled communicator and facilitator, adept at working with boards, senior leadership, staff, and members of the community to identify and achieve shared goals. A hallmark of her impact throughout her career has been her ability to recruit, cultivate, and retain strong, mission-driven leaders and teams that are united in their capacity to deliver on a vision for a better future. Ellen has also successfully led organizations engaged in large-scale, transformative initiatives to center and advance racial and other intersectional equity in their efforts and impact. Through intention and experience, Ellen has come to appreciate that meaningful and sustained team diversity is what happens when organizations engage authentically to cultivate workplace environments that support equity and belonging.

Ellen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is a proud native and resident of Maine where she lives with her wife, just a block from the beach she grew up going to with her mom as a kid.

More About Ellen

Is there a quote that inspires you? "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver

What lasting change do you want your work to have? I hope that the people with whom I connect move through life with a deeper understanding of their personal genius, and an appreciation of the beauty and power of authentic human connection.

If you could give a 10-minute presentation on any subject, what would it be? How to cultivate and sustain meaningful relationships that are rooted in authentic human connection.