Board of Trustees
Ellen Butts
Ellen Butts was raised in the Bronx. After spending innumerable hours communing with the gorillas
at the Bronx Zoo, she decided to become a zoologist. At City College, however, long hours spent d
issecting in the lab, rather than socializing on the lawn, convinced her to switch her major to
comparative literature.
A publishing career beckoned upon graduation; but despite the glamour of her first "real" job as an editorial assistant at Doubleday & Co., Ellen returned to Columbia University to earn a master's degree in library science. In the years since, she's worked in publishing as an editor of adult fiction and non-fiction and as a librarian in both public and private libraries.
Currently, Ellen writes non-fiction books for children and young adults while working as a part-time librarian and freelance editor. She also teaches ESOL to adults. Her favorite hangout, besides the library, is the gym where you can find her working out most mornings. Ellen is married to Al and has two sons, Daniel and Derek.