Ella McCann

Manager, External Relations and Strategic Partnerships, Baumhart Center

Ella McCann is Manager of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships for the Baumhart Center, an interdisciplinary center at Loyola University Chicago that prepares leaders to tackle society’s most pressing challenges through education, engagement, and research.

Before joining Baumhart, Ella was an International Program Manager with Chicago Sister Cities International, an initiative of World Business Chicago, the Economic Development arm of the City of Chicago. In this capacity, Ella managed volunteer sister city committees; coordinated exchanges that focused on cultural arts and tourism, international business and economic development, global education and government relations between Chicago and its sister cities; facilitated international delegation visits; and produced CSCI program-wide events.

Ella is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in “Language as a Tool to Breakdown Cultural Barriers” from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands in Southern California. Prior to joining Chicago Sister Cities International, Ella was the Outreach Coordinator at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, managing school visits at Chicago Public Schools and introducing Japanese culture to Chicagoans. From 2012-2014, she lived in Japan and was an Assistant Language Teacher in Chiba Prefecture as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Ella is fluent in Japanese and intermediate in Spanish.

In 2018, Ella was awarded “40 Game Changers Under 40 in Chicago” by the Urban Business Roundtable, presented by WVON and Ariel Investments. She currently serves on a number of international and local boards, including the Latin School of Chicago Alumni Board of Directors, President of the John Walt Foundation, the U.S. Japan Council, and the Japan America Society of Chicago Membership Committee.