Leaders Investing in Leaders: Anne Ellis

Leaders Investing in Leaders: Anne Ellis

Written By Drew Precious
May 10, 2021

This article is part of the Presidential Precinct’s “Leaders Investing in Leaders” series – offering regular spotlight stories about the champions who enable us to further our mission to invest in leaders and transform our world.

Throughout a career of more than 30 years in infrastructure and the AEC industry, Anne Ellis has prioritized and accomplished the art of spanning boundaries – relationally, culturally, and literally as a structural engineer. Anne has served as a Fortune 500 business executive, an independent consultant, and now a nonprofit leader, heading the Virginia-based Charles Pankow Foundation. Her work continues to have deep impact on communities around the world.

Anne’s introduction to the Presidential Precinct came while she was serving as Vice President responsible for the advisory boards at AECOM in the summer of 2014. That year brought the very first “Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders” (now the Mandela Washington Fellowship) and the promise of 500 of the world’s top civic leaders coming to the United States for six weeks of leadership training and immersive cultural experience. The Fellowship Institute at the Presidential Precinct was sponsored by AECOM.

Anne stands with Edda Zekarias, 2014 Fellowship Alumna from Zambia
   

Without a question, that summer was made possible by partnership. All began to see the Precinct’s partner institutions come together as a united force for warm hospitality, good dialogue, and our oft-quoted “Power of Place”. For arguably the first time, there was undeniable proof of concept in this young nonprofit model.

We relied on both the financial investment of AECOM and deep personal engagement of Anne and her team in all aspects of the program. From a corporate perspective, there was much to gain – AECOM’s investment in the Fellowship was based on the belief that their work around the globe required careful listening and learning about other country contexts. At the Precinct, AECOM could find first-hand perspectives on localized challenges and needs. But it was also clear that this team’s investment was marked by their own personal commitment to supporting and learning from the 2014 Fellows.

Anne and her colleagues hosted 2014 Fellows at the AECOM offices in Arlington
   

Recently, Anne insisted: “We went [to the Precinct] thinking we were investing to help fill their vision. My job was to ensure a return on investment, and that was achieved. But the bonus was that personal impact of engaging with the YALI Fellows. My heart was touched in so many ways.”

Now in our seventh year of hosting young African leaders, we know there is no shortage of “lessons learned” in a six week leadership curriculum. Top takeaways from this program range from the infamous Design Thinking model to various monitoring and evaluation methods or even constitution drafting! Yet when asked at the end of her Fellowship about foremost takeaways, Alumna Toyosi Ogunseye immediately reflected on the personal impact that Anne had imparted. Toyosi shared: “Anne listened intensely, and when any fellow asked her questions, she knew the person’s ‎background and history. She had spent time reading our biographies,” later adding, “I’m always eager to learn from women who have broken barriers in their industries.”

Anne with AECOM SVP Tim McManus and 2014 Fellows at James Madison’s Montpelier
   

Anne’s support of the Presidential Precinct has not slowed in the least since the conclusion of AECOM’s sponsorship. Today, as an individual supporter, she remains among the Precinct’s most consistent donors. Why? “I know this money is well invested,” Anne told us. “I know that it is going directly towards the purpose and change that we want to see in the world, and I want the Presidential Precinct to scale as much as possible and continue to develop these incredibly personal experiences.” Now knocking on the door of 1,200 program alumni, the Precinct has certainly scaled since hosting that first class of Fellows. Anne beautifully sums up a program at the Precinct as “an opportunity to touch more hearts and minds.”

In her words and longstanding professional commitments, Anne challenges us all to become better global citizens. Adapting Simon Sinek’s concept in The Infinite Game, she said, “so many are focused on winning and losing” – that is, in business, politics, or even relationships. Her recommendation to those of us looking to grow in our leadership journey is to move from this finite thinking to a more infinite model, trusting our own convictions, and shifting our focus away from winning and instead towards resilience to thrive.

Thank you, Anne, for your steady support of our staff, our alumni, and our programming alike. The Presidential Precinct is better and thriving, just, and free societies become a closer reality because of your support.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. The Presidential Precinct is a sub-grantee of IREX and is implementing a U.S.-based Leadership Institute as a part of the Fellowship. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, please visit the Fellowship’s website at www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org

Recent News

Precinct Alumna Appointed as Deputy Ambassador of Sierra Leone to Belgium

10/30/2024

Before and after their time at the Precinct, our alumni hold many positions of influence and work tirelessly through these positions to rea...
Read More

Nafisa Atiku-Abubakar: From Vulnerability to Power

08/23/2024

"Progress is possible, but not guaranteed. We have to fight for it."Hillary Clinton, Remarks to the 2024 Democratic National Convention &nb...
Read More

From Facebook Post to Global Leadership: My Inspirational Journey

07/25/2024

Social media in the modern digital age is frequently associated with negative attributes such as false information, cyber bullying, and was...
Read More

Chichi Mlingwa: When the Dots Finally Connect

06/22/2024

On this day in 2017, a Young African Leader sat down and put his thoughts to paper to reflect on lessons learnt during his first week as a...
Read More

Monticello returns as core partner institution of the Presidential Precinct

05/15/2024

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Presidential Precinct and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private nonprofit that owns and operates Montice...
Read More

Announcing the Inaugural Cohort of Corporate Leaders

04/23/2024

Established executive leaders from 6 African countries will arrive at the Precinct on April 29. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – With thanks to s...
Read More

Recent IVLP programs spark timely conversations on elections in democracies worldwide

03/21/2024

Headlines are abundant: 2024 is already proving to be a big year for elections. According to TIME magazine, “More voters than ever in his...
Read More

Grace Klauer: Catching up with Precinct Alumni in Cairo

03/19/2024

In December 2023 I had the pleasure of meeting with several Presidential Precinct alumni while visiting friends in Cairo, Egypt. It was hea...
Read More

Celebrating Ten Years of the Mandela Washington Fellowship: Young African Leaders Returning to Williamsburg and Charlottesville in Summer 2024

02/27/2024

The Presidential Precinct is proud to announce its selection as an Institute Partner for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young A...
Read More

Thanks to new Chair appointment, Global Advisory Council enters next season with strength

02/26/2024

The Presidential Precinct is proud and grateful to announce Dessie Nash, Market Investment Executive at Bank of America Private Bank, as th...
Read More