Ellen Riddleberger is a Senior Vice President at McAllister & Quinn and leader of the nonprofit practice. Ellen manages an impressive array of clients including nonprofit, higher education, and advocacy organizations, with a variety of interests including human and social services, health, law enforcement/justice, conservation, and arts and culture. She specializes in providing clients with strategic government affairs analysis and advocacy services as well as assistance with fund development through Federal grants and foundations.
During her tenure at McAllister & Quinn, Ellen has assisted various clients in securing tens of millions of dollars in grant funding in support of their missions. She has established new grant programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense, and increased funding for various programs on behalf of her nonprofit clients. She has shepherded numerous legislative provisions benefitting her clients from conception through final passage.
Prior to joining McAllister & Quinn, Ellen was the Chief of Staff and Appropriations Associate Staff for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and a former Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. During her tenure with Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Ellen worked on the Appropriations, Budget, and Financial Services Committees, as well as handled a broad spectrum of issues, including health, labor, justice, education, and women’s and children’s issues.
Ellen is a native of Sacramento and earned her B.A. in political science at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and her M.A. in political science from Stanford University. She is a member of the board of the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance and former member of the board of directors of the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Affiliations
- Board Member, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
- Former Board Member, National Women’s Hall of Fame
- Member, House of Chiefs of Staff Alumni Association
- Transatlantic Dialogue Member
Publications and Events
- Discussion Leader: “The Rise of Populism on Both Sides of the Atlantic,” Friedrich Naumann Foundation Conference: The Current State of Transatlantic Relations: An Assessment. Chicago, 2016.