BALTIMORE—Elena “Ellie” Cox, a former vice president of resource development for United Way in Baltimore and other cities, has been named director of development at the Open Society Institute-Baltimore.
“Ellie Cox has a proven track record of development both here in Baltimore and around the country,” said Diana Morris, director of OSI-Baltimore. “She is a wonderful asset to the institute as we work to make critical investments in the city.”
Philanthropist George Soros founded OSI-Baltimore, an operating foundation, in 1998 and has donated more than $50 million since then to support a grantmaking, educational and capacity-building program to expand justice and opportunity for Baltimore residents. Its current work focuses on helping Baltimore's youth succeed, reducing the social and economic costs of incarceration, tackling drug addiction, and building a corps of Community Fellows to bring innovative ideas to Baltimore's underserved communities.
Cox joins OSI-Baltimore as the institute works to meet a major fundraising challenge. Last year, Soros pledged to give Baltimore $10 million if the institute raises another $20 million from the community to continue the foundation’s work. The institute wants to take advantage of Soros’s continued investment in Baltimore as an opportunity to create meaningful change in a city Soros once described as “sinking” and now recognizes as “rising.” Cox will work closely with foundation, corporate and community leaders to implement a wide-ranging effort to meet Soros’s challenge.
“OSI-Baltimore has set very high goals for raising money to improve the lives of people living in Baltimore, “said Morris. “Ellie Cox will be instrumental in helping us reach those goals.”
Cox spent 13 years in development positions with United Way, including a stint as director and vice president for resource development in Baltimore beginning in 1996. She also spent three years at United Way of America headquarters after a major financial crisis, analyzing best practices and revitalizing fundraising efforts across the $3 billion United Way system. Since leaving United Way in 1999, Cox has worked for a variety of for-profit and non-profit initiatives, including two years with a child survival initiative in El Salvador.
Cox is also an active volunteer, has redeveloped several historic properties in Federal Hill, and has run marathons and triathlons. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College and recently earned an MBA degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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