Susan J. Ellis

Ellis graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She received a master's degree in folklore and folklife in 1971 from the University of Pennsylvania, producing a thesis on the history of scrapple. She was the former director of special services at Philadelphia Family Court, where she managed volunteers, many of them assisting youth in the court system. She also wrote for other publications, including The Chronicle of Philanthropy. She founded Energize, Inc. in 1977 and in the 42 years afterward assisted nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, charities, universities and associations throughout the world to create or strengthen their volunteer engagement and support for volunteers. The company also sold hundreds of books related to volunteer engagement, not only those published by the company. Energize clients included the Corporation for National Service, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), the American Lung Association, the Boys and Girls Club of America, March of Dimes, 4-H and various United Way affiliates. ==Works and honors==

Ellis is the author or co-author of fourteen books, several of which have been translated into Japanese, Taiwanese, French, and Italian. Since 2005, her best selling book is From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement, 3rd Edition, which has sold more than 6000 copies in print and e-book. She gave speeches regarding recruiting and supporting volunteers in more than 26 countries. She is a co-author with Jayne Cravens of The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: Fully Integrating Online Service into Volunteer Involvement, published in 2014. She was frequently cited in various national and international publications regarding volunteerism-related topics, such as • a 1995 article in The Baltimore Sun regarding funding and accounting for the Points of Light Foundation, • an article in The New York Times raising questions and criticisms about America's Promise, a national charity led by Colin Powell, • a CNN Money / Fortune Magazine article in 2000 about millions of retiring baby boomers having different, disruptive expectations about volunteering than previous generations, • a 2009 article in The New York Times about the launch of Mandela Day • a 2013 article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the gaps in service being left by older people who were retiring from volunteering • a 2017 article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy about the surge in volunteering numbers after the 2016 Presidential election and • a 2018 article about a decline in volunteering among young people in Education Week. Ellis received the Harriet Naylor Distinguished Member Service Award from the Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) in 1989. She was a passionate fan of the original Star Trek television series and once taught a community college course in the Romulan language derived from a program by science-fiction author Diane Duane. Her company name was derived from the phrase "Energize" frequently said on the show. ==See also==