Working Mom.
Ellen is a working mom who understands the challenges Knoxville’s families face every day — from housing affordability and transportation costs to neighborhood safety and quality of life.
Ellen lives in Edgewood Park with her middle-school-age daughter and two rescue pups. She and her daughter love spending time in the public libraries, museums, and parks that make the city special. For Ellen, building a stronger Knoxville isn’t just about planning for the future. It’s about making sure the city works for the families who call it home today.
Professional Planner.
Ellen moved to Knoxville in 2005 to help plan the future of a growing community — work that has defined her career ever since.
For nearly two decades, Ellen worked on the front lines of Knoxville's growth as a planner with Knoxville-Knox County Planning. She led planning efforts focused on safety, sidewalks, greenways, and Safe Routes to School. She launched Knox County's first comprehensive traffic crash analysis program and created a collaborative fatal crash review process that continues today.
Again and again, Ellen saw the same thing: the challenges facing families and communities aren’t inevitable. They are problems we can solve when government is willing to listen, plan ahead, and do the work.
Today, Ellen serves as Director of Planning & Research for the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, a national nonprofit that supports transportation planning agencies across the country. While her work now has a national reach, Knoxville remains home.
Neighborhood Advocate.
Ellen bought her home in North Knoxville’s Edgewood Park neighborhood in 2006 and has spent twenty years investing in the community she loves. Shortly after moving in, she began working with neighbors to revive the dormant neighborhood association: walking the neighborhood, organizing residents, handing out countless flyers, and helping establish the Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association that continues to serve residents today. She served as president of the organization for five years and is on the board today.
Her commitment to community extends beyond her neighborhood. Ellen has served on the Board of Directors of Three Rivers Market, chaired the Community Health Council, volunteered with Knox County CAC providing rides for seniors, and has regularly spoken before City Council in support of more diverse housing options, smarter transportation investments, and solutions that ensure Knoxville's growth works for every resident, not just those at the top.
Problem Solver.
Ellen is running for City Council because she believes the city's future should be shaped by the people who live here — not just those with the loudest voices or the deepest pockets. She brings a planner’s eye for the data, a neighbor’s understanding of community, and a mom’s determination to build a city that works for the next generation.
After twenty years studying Knoxville's challenges, bringing people together, and finding practical solutions, she knows Knoxville needs leaders who are willing to tackle big challenges instead of managing the status quo.
