David Ellis (consultant)

David Wertz Ellis (born February 8, 1936) is an American consultant who previously worked as the president and director of the Museum of Science (Boston), interim president of the Boston Children's Museum, and the president of Lafayette College. Since 2002, he has worked in the greater Boston area as a non-profit organization management consultant working mostly with museums and science centers.[1]

David Wertz Ellis
President and Director of the Museum of Science (Boston)
In office 1990–2002
Succeeded by	Jane Pickering
President of Lafayette College
In office 1978–1990
Preceded by	K. Roald Bergethon
Succeeded by	Robert I. Rotberg
Personal details
Born	February 8, 1936 Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, US
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Marion Elizabeth Schmitt
Alma mater	Haverford College (B.A.) MIT (Ph.D)
Occupation	Management consulting
Awards	Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018

In 2018, Ellis was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who.[2]

Early life

Ellis was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania to parents Calvert Nice and Elizabeth Oller Ellis (née Wertz). His father was at one time the president of Juniata College.[3] He attended Haverford College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1958. He then went on to pursue his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1962.

Career

Ellis began his career working as an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of New Hampshire, a position he held from 1962 to 1967. For the next 11 years he held a variety of faculty and administrative at the university, his last position being vice provost for academic affairs, which he held from 1971 to 1978.[4][5]

On March 4, 1978, Ellis was selected by the trustees of Lafayette College to become the school's 13th president.[6] He was inaugurated on October 20th of that year and subsequently received letters of advice from many individuals, including president Jimmy Carter who wrote, "you bring to Lafayette an admirable leadership ability and a special sensitivity to the challenges now facing American higher education... I wish you a long and successful administration."[7] In October of 1981, Ellis mounted a $50 million fundraising campaign which was met by June 30, 1985. The money raised in this effort went largely towards the construction of several buildings on campus,[8] one of which being a $16 million student center which required a controversial removal of a pre-World War 1 fraternity house.[9] Also while president, Ellis helped form the Colonial League (now known as the Patriot League) with help from the president of Lehigh University.[10] Ellis left the Lafayette presidency in 1990. Under his administration the college endowment grew from slightly under $50 million to $202 million. A trustee of the college claimed, "he has raised more money than any other president of the college - more, probably, than all his predecessors combined."[11]

In 1989, Ellis attended a six-week Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, and the following year became the president and director of the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. He worked at the museum from 1990 to 2002, and after retirement was an interim director of the Harvard Museum of Natural History,[12][13] and interim president of the Boston Children's Museum.

Honors and awards

In 2018, Ellis was the recipient of the Marquis Who's Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.[2]

He has also been the recipient of many honorary degrees:

• Honorary Doctor of Science, Northeastern University[14]
• Honorary Doctor of Civil Law, The University of the South[14]
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Lafayette College[14]
• Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Juniata College[15]
• Honorary Doctor of Science, Ursinus College[11]
• Honorary Doctor of Science, Susquehanna University[11]
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Lehigh University[11]

References

1. "David Ellis". The Museum Group. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
2. Marks, Fred (March 13, 2018). "David Wertz Ellis, Ph.D., Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who". 24-7 Press Release Newswire. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
3. Gendebien, pg. 623
4. Gendebien, pg. 621
5. "David W. Ellis, PhD | forsyth.org". forsyth.org. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
6. "Lafayette College Announces Appointment of New President". The New York Times. April 10, 1978. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
7. Gendebien, pg. 622
8. Gendebien, pg. 630
9. "CAMPUS LIFE: Lafayette; Preservationists Defeated As Bulldozer Settles Debate". The New York Times. June 11, 1989. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
10. Gendebien, pg. 629
11. "Lafayette College President Resigns". The Morning Call. July 21, 1989. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
12. Boucahrd, Shane R. (February 18, 2011). "Museum Director Departs | News | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
13. Manning, Colin (December 4, 2012). "A director for Museums of Science and Culture". The Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
14. "David Wertz Ellis, PhD". Who's Who Lifetime Achievement. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
15. "Juniata awards degrees at 111th commencement". Huntingdon Daily News. May 14, 1990. Retrieved 23 July 2018.

Works cited

• Gendebien, Albert W. (1986). The Biography of a College: A History of Lafayette College 1927 - 1978. Easton, PA: Lafayette College.