Member Profile: Ellen Williams
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Many people’s career paths take them far from their original goals. Ellen Williams of the Chestnut Hill Rotary Club is no exception. Upon graduation from the University of Delaware with a degree in criminal justice, she was offered a position as a parole officer. “I took one look at what the job entailed and said, “Oh no. This is definitely not for me!”
She pursued employment in customer service and sales jobs until she received a proposal from a customer she couldn’t refuse. The CEO of the Boy Scouts of Philadelphia offered Ellen the position of District Executive of BSA’s Explorer program for the Greater Philadelphia area. The co-ed program was an interactive, worksite-based career education program for students in grades 9 through 11.
She formed clubs sponsored by local businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations focused on familiarizing students with careers in the sponsor’s field. Ellen worked with schools in the Philadelphia School District and numerous sponsors for 23 years. However, the Explorer program was discontinued when BSA was forced to contract some of its activities.
When one door closes, another opens. She was soon recruited by Angel Flight East (AFE) where she has been the Executive Director since 2013. This nonprofit organization works with over 460 volunteer pilots located in fourteen states from Maine to Virginia and west into Ohio. The pilots own their own planes and provide transportation at their own expense. Among them are Rotarians including Rob Newman of the Longwood Rotary Club. The passengers are medical patients and family members who require specialized services that are only available far from home and when conventional transportation is prohibitive.
“Some patients live in rural areas from which it is difficult and expensive to commute. However, our small plane pilots can get in and out readily and efficiently. When the distances are beyond our reach, we work with similar organizations to relay patients,” says Ellen. Her staff at AFE communicate and coordinate travel arrangements with patients, pilots and ground facilities daily, averaging over fifty flights each month.
Ellen joined the Chestnut Hill Rotary Club in 2011 from the Philadelphia Rotary Club where she was a member for three years. She is a Club Director and has been president for two terms. Ellen and her husband Bill have five children between them, two sons and three daughters and live in Blue Bell, conveniently located next to Wings Field and her office at AFE.