Ellen W. Griggs

Ellen Griggs is an inspiring and talented financial services professional and independent board director whose leadership has a profound impact on the for-profit and nonprofit organizations she serves. Recognized among the top transformative executives in the field and an expert in global asset management, Ellen delivers a 360-degree perspective joined with honed expertise in strategy, governance, and executive compensation. Ellen executes with precision and impeccable integrity, relying on her significant team building talent to achieve consensus.

Ellen’s bias toward solutions marries her executive and corporate governance viewpoints. Currently, she sits on the board of E. Ritter & Company, a family-owned Agribusiness and Telecommunications company, where she plays a vital role as a member of the Compensation and Governance Committees. Additionally, Ellen is a Director on the Evanston Capital Management Board, an alternative investment management firm. As the firm’s only independent Director, she sits an all board committees. Ellen serves as Chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Investment and Nominating/Governance Committees of Market Street Trust Company, a New York State private trust company. Finally, from 2012 to 2014 she served on the Advisory Board of InvestorForce, Inc., an MSCI company.

In the nonprofit arena, Ellen is a member of the New England Aquarium Board of Overseers Executive Committee, the Boston Medical Center’s Philanthropic Trust Board, the Investment Committee of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and is a Trustee Emeritus of Kenyon College.

A Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Ellen brings broad global management ability, marketing acumen, senior IT oversight, and an unwavering customer focus. She has been repeatedly tapped to evaluate, reposition and launch product lines. During her tenure as COO and Managing Partner, assets under advisement grew from $300 billion to $600 billion. Moreover, she has a track record of extensive investment and portfolio strategy work, having successfully managed over $25 billion in assets.

In summary, Ellen was Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Partner of NEPC, LLC, an independent, full-service investment consulting firm providing asset allocation, performance measurement, investment manager searches, and policy formulation to employee defined benefit and contribution plans, endowments, foundations, insurance, and private wealth programs. At NEPC, she revamped the organization, successfully evaluating and redesigning the infrastructure to meet internal and external business growth demands and maximize overall company profitability. She directed technology to enhance the standardization and streamlining of business processes. As COO, Ellen led NEPC in a total company rebranding initiative, fusing innovation and strategic intent to create a platform and protocol that ensured an enduring brand identity.

Simultaneously, Ellen chaired the Board and Executive Committee of the Independent Consultants Cooperative (ICC) comprised of 12 independent investment consulting firms in conjunction with State Street Bank totaling $2.5 trillion in assets. In this role she revitalized ICC Board governance and spearheaded an aggressive strategic planning process.

Previously, Ellen was a Senior Vice President and Partner at Strong Capital Management recruited by the President to create a world-class institutional fixed income business platform. Drawing on her powerful strategic and analytical orientation to aligning the overall business and total product, she successfully grew this line of business and generated a 100% increase in core fixed income assets. Earlier in her career, Ellen was Managing Director and CIO at Paine Webber Mutual Funds and Vice President, Investment Management Group at Bankers Trust Company.