Ellen McDermott

Ellen McDermott was the Interim Executive Director at CUP from September 2022 through April 2023. She is a Queens native, now living in Manhattan, who has always been passionate about this city, and the people and organizations that make it work.

Immediately prior to coming to CUP, Ellen served as Interim Executive Director of Project for Public Spaces, where she worked with the board and staff to weather the COVID-19 emergency, as well as significant changes in staffing, funding, and program priorities. Before that, she served as Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives, which advocates for better streets for walking, biking and public transit in New York City. Previously, Ellen worked at OpenPlans, Honeybee Robotics, BusyInternet, CitySearch; and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment.

Ellen graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. degree in English, and from King’s College London with an M.A. degree in Text & Performance Studies.