Family Gateway is gonna start the month of July with new leadership. Word has just arrived that after months of vetting, they’ve managed to get Ellen Magnis to return to Big Old D from the Big Apple as their executive director.
According to Family Gateway’s Board of Directors Chair Anne Johnson, “We could not be more thrilled to welcome Ellen to Family Gateway. Not only is Ellen a respected, accomplished and innovative leader, her passion for helping children in need makes her a perfect fit for Family Gateway. Addressing the rising homeless population in Dallas will require strong leadership from both the public and the private sector. We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Ellen’s extraordinary track record leading Family Gateway in the fight to end child homelessness in Dallas.”
If her name sounds familiar, it should be. For ages she was Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center’s Chief of External Affairs, where she was responsible for “fundraising, education, legislative affairs and public relations. She launched and scaled the agency’s education program and led the dramatic growth of national corporate partnerships and federal agency relationships for an internationally attended annual conference for more than 3,900 professionals. During her tenure, she also supported a capital campaign and launched a major gifts strategy while aligning fundraising events to the organization’s mission. Known within the agency as a mentoring supervisor, she also spearheaded cross-agency improvements in performance management and led the development and execution of an aggressive strategic plan.”
Before that she held various vice president positions with the American Heart Association for nearly seven years, including VP of the American Stroke Association.
Most recently Ellen was in New York City serving as executive director of Minds Matter, “a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success.”
According to Ellen, ““I am so excited to help take Family Gateway to its next level of success. I am very drawn to the ‘Housing First’ philosophy of Family Gateway and look forward to finding ways to ensure that families stay together during the unimaginable challenges of homelessness. I am very honored to work in partnership with the staff, Board, elected officials and leaders from sister agencies to address this complex issue for our community. Every child should have a home; that’s something on which we can all agree.”
One of the first things on Ellen’s agenda, besides moving into her office, will be Family Gateway’s Gateway To Opportunity Luncheon featuring Jenna Bush Hager on Tuesday, September 27, at the Omni Dallas Hotel. It’s being chaired by Tracy Lange and Paula Miltenberger.
* Photo provided by Family Gateway