A native of Decatur, GA, Leigh Ellen’s professional roots began in non-profit, working part-time and summers at the State Office of Special Olympics Georgia from her senior year in high school through college. Upon graduating from Furman University with a B.A. in Philosophy and following a European backpacking excursion, she settled into a full-time role at Special Olympics Georgia until 1995. From there she entered the corporate world, including extended stints at office equipment and solutions supplier Lanier Worldwide (now Ricoh) as a National Accounts Analyst and later Accounts Receivable Manager, and then at auto transport company Allied Automotive Group where she ascended the ranks from Equipment Utilization Analyst to Asset Manager to Director of Regulatory Compliance and Workers’ Compensation. Today her career arc has come full circle, working from her home in Lawrenceville as a communications and marketing consultant to non-profit specialty health network associations NASHO and NAVCP, providing event planning support and crafting press releases, position statements and white papers for advocacy efforts. In addition to volunteering with The Next Stop since 2011, Leigh Ellen has written several grants netting over $20,000 for the organization. [[email protected]]