Ellen Taaffe

Ellen Taaffe is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Kellogg School of Management, where she teaches Personal Leadership Insights and is the Director of Women's Leadership Program. She designs and delivers the Kellogg Women's Leadership Seminar series, the signature program for female students across Kellogg's Full-time, Evening/Weekend, and Executive MBA programs. She is a featured speaker and executive leadership coach in Kellogg's Executive Education programs on Leadership and Governance and in MBA Leadership courses and programs.

Outside of Kellogg, Ellen is a TEDx speaker and shares her insights on leadership, governance, and advancing women and inclusion through her writing and speaking in corporations, conferences, and universities and in media like Forbes, Washington Post, Kellogg Insight, and WGN radio. She runs a leadership advisory consulting and coaching business, and serves as an independent board director for two public and one private company boards, chairs two Nominating and Governance Committees and one Compensation Commitee, and is a member of two compensation and three audit committees.

Prior to her academic, governance, and coaching career, Ellen spent 25 years with Fortune 500 companies holding the top marketing management post at divisions of PepsiCo, Royal Caribbean, and Whirlpool Corporation. She built world-class brands, led multi-billion dollar portfolios with P&L responsibility, launched new businesses, led turnarounds, and merged businesses and cultures post-acquisition. She then pivoted into a growth stage small business as President of Ravel (formerly SDA before sale), a brand strategy consultancy to Fortune 500 clients. Over her career, she has been acknowledged for brand management and digital and traditional brand marketing (Gold and Silver Effie awards), business growth (Inc.5000 list), governance (Directors to Watch list), and people leadership (Top Small Company to Work Finalist).

Ellen has loved leading and coaching teams and individuals to create the businesses and careers they desired. She's done this for years as a manager, trainer, and mentor and now as an executive coach, teacher, speaker, and writer. She is passionate about helping businesses and people ascend to higher levels of performance, possibility, and purpose. Additionally, she is on a mission to advance women and inclusion in the workplace. Her mission: More Seats (and Voices) at the Table.

Ellen received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 1997. She also holds a BS from the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business.

Education

• MBA, 1997, Northwestern University
• B.S., 1983, Marketing, University of Florida

Professional Experience

• Vice President, PepsiCo, 1999-2001
• Vice President, PepsiCo, 2001-2003
• Vice President, PepsiCo, 2003-2005
• Senior Vice President, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, 2005-2007
• Vice President of Marketing, Whirlpool Corporation, 2007-2009
• President, Smith-Dahmer Associates, 2010-2015
• Independent Consultant and Executive Coach, 2015-present
• Board of Directors, Hooker Furniture Corporation, 2015-present
• Board of Directors, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., 2011-present
• Clinical Assistant Professor of Leadership and Director of Women's Leadership Programs, Northwestern University, 2016-present

Awards

• Directors to Watch 2017, Directors & Boards Magazine