Sarah Kate Ellis was named CEO & President of GLAAD in January 2014 after a successful career as an award-winning media executive and communications strategist. Ellis has refocused GLAAD’s crucial advocacy to accelerate acceptance of the LGBT community through a variety of compelling and effective initiatives, campaigns, and programs.
A powerful communicator, Ellis has used GLAAD’s position as the world’s leading media advocacy organization to demand fair and accurate coverage of the LGBTQ community. Ellis also commissioned GLAAD's annual Accelerating Acceptance report, providing a window into national sentiment towards the LGBTQ community. In 2018, Ellis launched the GLAAD Media Institute (GMI), which focuses on research into LGBTQ representation and acceptance, consulting on LGBTQ storylines in media and Hollywood, and training activists on LGBTQ media advocacy and storytelling that creates change. She is also the Executive Producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community.
Under her leadership, Ellis has evolved GLAAD from a media watchdog organization to one of the most powerful cultural change agents across industries. In response to the unique and disproportionate challenges facing LGBTQ people during the pandemic, Ellis executive produced “Together in Pride: You are Not Alone,” a digital event that highlighted the LGBTQ response to COVID-19 and raised critical funds for local LGBTQ centers providing life-saving services. She has also taken her mission of LGBTQ acceptance to a global level: in June 2019, Ellis traveled to Cannes-Lions, where she spoke about increasing LGBTQ inclusion in marketing and advertising and the workplace on panels with the world’s largest companies. For the past several years, Ellis has also brought LGBTQ issues to the forefront at the World Economic Forum. An insightful expert on LGBT issues, she has appeared on ABC News, Bloomberg, CNN, MSNBC, "Entertainment Tonight," and scores of other broadcasts.
Ellis has been widely recognized for her leadership. She is a 2024 Forbes 50 Over 50 honoree and was named to the 2023 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has also been recognized by Adweek & ADCOLOR’s 2020 Champions of Diversity and Inclusion, Crain New York Business’ 2020 Notable LGBTQ Leaders & Executives, Logo30, Stevie Awards for Women in Business, Webby Awards, Variety’s Power of New York, OUT100, and Guardian’s World Power Pride List
Ellis co-authored a memoir with her wife, Kristen Ellis-Henderson, entitled “Times Two, Two Women in Love and the Happy Family They Made" as well as "All Moms," a love letter to motherhood. They were the first same-sex couple to have their marriage ceremony performed in the Episcopal Church of New York State.
Prior to joining GLAAD, Ellis led national media brands, notably growing Real Simple into one of Time Inc.’s most respected and successful magazines. Her vision also transformed and energized leading media outlets including Vogue, InStyle, New York, and House & Garden. She served as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Martini Media, a digital firm specializing in online branding, public relations and marketing. She earned her BA from Russell Sage College and also attended the Tuck Executive Education program at Dartmouth.
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