SPEAKERS

As the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Manna Tree, Ellie is a passionate investor focused on improving human health. Manna Tree invests in growth stage businesses transforming the food supply chain for healthier outcomes. Ellie is a member of the firm’s Executive and Investment Committees. She shapes the firm’s vision strategy and investment products and develops Manna Tree’s global network. For the past 10 years, Ellie has studied the evolution of the food and beverage supply chain, as well as the increasing consumer demand for healthier alternatives.  

Prior to founding Manna Tree, Ellie helped develop the impact investing thesis for a family investment office well known for ESG driven strategies. As part of new product development for the office, she helped launch the first ever arctic asset manager based in Alaska. This established her early belief in the power of impact investing to address social challenges without sacrificing returns, as well as the importance of energy and food as asset classes.  

In 2022, Ellie was honored to be appointed to the Alaska Permanent Fund Board of Trustees. As part of her role of trustee, she sits on the Governance Committee which reviews the Board of Trustees Charters and Governance Policies and recommends proposed changes to the full Board for approval as necessary to ensure that the Charter remains relevant and appropriate. At the Annual Meeting in September of 2023, Ellie was unanimously elected as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.

In addition to her role at Manna Tree, Ellie is an active philanthropist. Through her family office, Mission: Ingredients, Ellie drives positive change in global population health. She supports ingredient research, outdoor wilderness, youth education, and military health and recovery programs.  Ellie’s combination of experience with both investment and philanthropy has inspired families and institutions to make investments in human health.  

Ellie earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Harvard University, where she was a varsity ski racer. She earned her master’s degree in agriculture economics from Purdue University and her MBA in agribusiness from Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business, where she was a Tobias Fellow.