Ellen Taaffe
Clinical Associate Professor of Management & Organizations
Director of Women's Leadership Programs
Ellen Connelly Taaffe is a Clinical Associate Professor in Management & Organizations, where she teaches Personal Leadership Insights and is the Director of the Women's Leadership Program. She designs and teaches the Kellogg Women's Leadership Seminar series across MBA programs. She is a featured speaker and executive leadership coach in Kellogg's Executive Education programs on Leadership and Governance and in MBA Leadership courses and programs. Her new book, The Mirrored Door: Break Through the Hidden Barrier that Locks Successful Women in Place won the prestigious NYC Big Book Award and the Goody Business Book Award for social impact in 2023.
Outside of Kellogg, Ellen is a governance leader serving on the boards of two public and one private company boards, where she is a Lead Independent Director, Vice Chair, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Chair, Compensation and Human Resources Committee Chair, and serves as a member of two Audit committees, and a Health Products & Quality Committee. She is a Certified Board Director with the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Ellen runs a leadership advisory consulting, speaking, and coaching business and is a TEDx speaker. She shares her insights on leadership, careers, and advancing women and inclusion through her writing and speaking in corporations, conferences, and universities and media like Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Kellogg Insight, WGN radio, Chicago’s Fox Morning Show, and her LinkedIn newsletter, Swagher.
Previously, Ellen spent 25 years with Fortune 500 companies holding the top brand management post at PepsiCo, Royal Caribbean, and Whirlpool Corporation divisions. She built world-class brands, led multi-billion-dollar portfolios with P&L responsibility, launched new businesses, led turnarounds, and merged businesses and cultures post-acquisition. She then pivoted into a growth stage small business as President of Ravel (formerly SDA before sale), a brand and product strategy consultancy to Fortune 500 clients. Over her career, she has been acknowledged for leading brand portfolios, impactful digital and traditional brand marketing (Gold and Silver Effie awards), business growth (Inc.5000 list), governance (Directors to Watch list), and people leadership (Top Small Company to Work Finalist).
Ellen received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in 1997. She also holds a BS from the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business, where she was named to the Hall of Fame.
Ellen has loved leading and coaching teams and individuals to create the businesses and careers they desired. She's done this for years as a manager, trainer, and mentor and now as a board director, executive coach, teacher, speaker, and author. She is passionate about helping businesses and people ascend to higher performance levels, possibility, and purpose. Additionally, she is on a mission to advance women, inclusion, and humanity in the workplace. Her mission: More Seats (and Voices) at the Table.
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MBA, 1997, Northwestern University
B.S., 1983, Marketing, University of Florida -
Clinical Associate Professor, Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2016-present
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Board Director, Vice Chair, Chair, Nominating and Governance, Member, Health Products & Quality Committee, Member, Compensation and Talent Management Committee, AARP Services Inc., 2018-present
Board Director, Lead Independent Director, Chair, Compensation and Human Resources, Member of Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., 2011-present
Board Director, Chair, Nominating and Governance, Member of Audit and Compensation Committees, Hooker Furniture Corporation, 2015-present
CEO: Advisor, Speaker, and Executive Coach, ETC. LLC, 2015-present
President, Smith-Dahmer Associates (Renamed Ravel after sale), 2010-2015
Vice President of Marketing, Whirlpool Corporation, 2007-2009
Senior Vice President, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, 2005-2007
Vice President, PepsiCo, 2003-2005
Vice President, PepsiCo, 1999-2001
Vice President, PepsiCo, 2001-2003 -
The Goody Business Book Award. Category: Women in Business
NYC Big Book Award Winner. Category: Women's Issues.
Certified Board Director, National Association of Corporate Directors, 2022 to Present
Directors to Watch 2017, Directors & Boards Magazine
Board Leadership Fellow, National Association of Corporate Directors, 2017 to Present
Personal Leadership Insights (LDEV-461-5)
This course is a unique opportunity for students who are highly motivated and committed to their personal development and growth as a leader and who value the chance to do this work in a group setting. The Kellogg faculty leader serves as coach and facilitator to guide students through a process that explores who they are (strengths, needs, values), reveals how others experience them (feedback), examines who they want to be (vision/purpose) and identifies actions for moving forward (development planning). Individual reflective exercises will be further explored and shared in small group meetings, full class discussion, and individual coaching appointments with the faculty. Students complete a paper integrating their personal insights. There is no final exam.
Because the course focuses on self-awareness and relationships with others, students rely on interactions with each other to experience vulnerability and growth within an environment of safety and trust. Therefore, students will not receive a letter grade, but rather a "Pass" with 0.5 credits or a "No-Credit" on their transcript. The "Pass" designation will be given if the following requirements are met: 100% attendance (non-negotiable), completion of all assignments, honoring confidentiality, and active participation in class activities and discussions.
Please note that the 100% attendance policy is non-negotiable across all sections and instructors. Only bid on a section for which you are sure you can attend every class session. Review the abbreviated syllabus for that section to confirm the precise meeting dates.
