Ellen E. Conovitz
With twenty-four years of comprehensive experience in state government, Ellen Conovitz serves as the Executive Vice President of Operations and Administration at Tonio Burgos and Associates, Inc. (TB&A) and brings strategic skills and an expert hand guiding client interests through the public policy arena.
Prior to joining TB&A, Ellen served as the Director of Administration and Appointments Officer to New York Governor Mario Cuomo. In that capacity she worked as an advisor to Governor Cuomo identifying and recommending appointments to executive departments, commission task forces and State Authorities' governing boards. She was responsible for the Senate confirmation process for all gubernatorial appointments.
Ellen’s research led to the creation of the Life and the Law Committee. This Committee, the first of its kind in the nation, was formed to develop public policy as a result of medical advances. The Life and the Law Committee addressed the problems of withholding life-sustaining treatment and organ transplantation, among other issues.
Subsequent to her twelve years in the Governor’s office, Ellen spent almost a decade leading the Institutional Services department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. She also served as the school's Affirmative Action officer. FIT is a division of the State University of New York.
While at FIT, Ellen was involved in several successful efforts to change public policy. As the Executive Director of the Arts Education Group (AEG), a pro bono group of arts educators and arts providers, she played an important role in the effort to bring the teaching of art and music into every public school classroom.
Ellen also spent many years as a volunteer member of civic and philanthropic boards in both policy making and fundraising roles. She was a member of the Governor's Task force on Sexual Harassment and served on the Pentagon's Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services (DACOWITS) from 1994 to 1996. She was also chosen as a technical advisor, and the only civilian consultant, to the Military Uniform Task Force for the Department of Defense.
Ellen has a B.S. from Simmons College and an Ed. M. from Boston University.