Ellen Payzant was born in New York City and grew up in Newburgh, New York. In 1962 she graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in French and a minor in child development. Her professional career reflects her interest in and concern for children, youth, and families. She taught fourth grade in an independent elementary school, directed a cooperative preschool, and taught pregnant and parenting minors. While in San Diego as a social worker for a private nonprofit social service agency, she worked with high-risk youth and families, the schools, and the community. Some of the programs in which she was involved include peer counseling, community service, and gang prevention. She was also a trainer of conflict resolution and mediation skills for youth and adults. Since moving to Boston in 1996, she has served as consultant to a project at Brigham and Women's Hospital that centers on seriously ill patients and their families. She is cofounder/director of the Active Girls Initiative, a collaborative research project focusing on the fitness, health, and well-being of girls 8-14 years old, in partnership with Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Volunteer experience has always been an important part of Ellen’s life. Working with the Support Center of San Diego, she provided board development and training for nonprofit organizations. As she moved around the country, she served on several advisory boards and boards of directors, including those of the Girl Scouts, the YMCA, the San Diego Literacy Council, and Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties, where she was president of the board for two years. Now in Boston, she is a former trustee of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union and is currently cochair of its board of visitors. She serves as president of Horizons Collaborative, which works to provide housing and programming for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. She has been on several committees for Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council and presently serves on the board of directors of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, the Comprehensive School-Age Parenting Program, and on the advisory board of Bay Cove Human Services. She is also a member of the community advisory board of the Prevention Research Center at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Ellen's other interests include travel, learning about different cultures and customs, photography, swimming, and grandchildren. She and her husband have three grown children and five grandchildren. They live in Boston’s South End.
