Ellen Chaffee, Ph.D.

Ellen Chaffee, Ph.D., was the Interim President and CEO of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (2023-2024) and has been a Senior Fellow there since 2010.

Dr. Chaffee’s distinguished career spans institutional, system, policy, and national professional leadership in both public and private higher education, as well as extensive research and publication. Past president of two universities and two national professional associations, she has led executive, academic affairs, student affairs, research, and equal opportunity areas. She has served on and consulted with more than 100 governing boards, as well as national organizations in higher education research, accreditation, health care, allied health, and foundations.

Dr. Chaffee was President of Valley City State University for 15 years and served nine of those years simultaneously as President of Mayville State University. Throughout her career, Dr. Chaffee has focused on leadership and organizational effectiveness, governance, strategic thinking, organizational change, turnaround management, innovation, continuous quality improvement, accountability, decision-making, and the role of information and technology.