Ellen Goodman

Prior to moving to the Bay Area in 1999 from Washington, D.C., San Francisco Executive Director Ellen Goodman had an extensive career in the public sector both on the national and international scale. Ellen’s San Francisco work allowed her to focus on low-income families whose children are suffering from medical complications and special needs. As Executive Director of Variety Children’s Charity of Northern California, Ellen launched community-based service programs to prevent low-income families from financial hardship because of a child battling cancer, disabilities, or marginalized circumstances.

Ellen was introduced to Playworks by a trusted friend and colleague. After multiple school visits, Ellen became convinced that Playworks was an organization she wanted to be a part of. With a long range vision of making the world a better place, Ellen saw how her experience would help meet the goals of Playworks: positively impacting children’s health and well-being by harnessing the power of play at school.