Isa Ellis leads a team that advances the Gates Foundation’s Pathways strategy, a national effort to connect policy and funding with innovative solutions that improve education and employment outcomes for students and accelerate their path to economic opportunity and mobility. 

Before joining the foundation in 2018, Isa served as national vice president at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She launched the organization’s first national postsecondary and workforce development strategy, which focused on increasing access to career readiness and credentialing opportunities for more than 4 million youth. 

Isa has spent more than a decade addressing inequities in postsecondary and career access, quality, and outcomes; and has held several leadership roles in government, non-profit, and philanthropy, including the Clinton Global Initiative, the Achievement Network, and the Chicago Public Schools. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College, and serves on several national non-profit boards. She is also a 2023 Bill Gates Sr. Award Finalist, a recognition given to foundation staff whose actions reflect the values and behaviors exemplified by Bill Gates Sr.