With over 30 years of experiences in higher education administration and research, Ellen joined Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University–New Brunswick in 2011 where she is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Student Programs. Ellen holds a Ph.D. in Global Urban Systems from Rutgers University (Newark).  Research interests are in the recruitment and retention of undergraduate women in majors where women are severely under-represented—such as engineering and computer science. Through her research, she has found that the living-learning communities in college are very impactful in bringing more women into engineering and retaining them at much higher than the national average. Ellen is also published in a book regarding the Social Determinants of Health and in particular the impact of supportive social networks (human capital) on health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Also certified by the State of New Jersey State as a School Psychologist, Ellen was in public schools systems in New Jersey as a practicing school psychologist.