Wilkes University President Greg Cant announced the additions of two senior-level staff members to the campus community.
Vice President of Finance and Chief Operating Officer Ellen Gallagher
Ellen Gallagher has been named the vice president of finance and chief operating officer at Wilkes University. Ellen has nearly 30 years of experience as a financial leader in the nonprofit sector. In her new role, she serves as the University’s most senior financial officer and oversees a range of University operations including finance, information technology services, facilities and dining services, campus security and capital projects. Reporting directly to the president, Ellen is a key member of the executive team, developing the financial, technological and facility planning initiatives that advance the Wilkes mission and values.
She comes to Wilkes from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where she served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Throughout her career, she has held positions at The Public Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival, the Lincoln Center Redevelopment Corporation, the Tucker Music Foundation and the Pennsylvania Ballet.
Ellen is a native of northeast Pennsylvania and currently resides in Shavertown. She is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, earned her bachelor’s degree in international business from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre; a master’s degree in data analytics from Villanova University, Villanova, Pa.; and her MBA from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator Elizabeth Leo
Elizabeth Leo has joined Wilkes University as general counsel and Title IX coordinator. With over 25 years of legal experience, Elizabeth is responsible for leading the legal affairs of the University as well as educational and awareness initiatives in identifying, reporting and prevent sexual misconduct, ensuring a safe and equitable learning and working environments for students and employees.
Elizabeth clerked for the Hon. Kevin Thomas Duffy, U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and then moved on to Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, LLP in New York. Upon moving to Pennsylvania, Elizabeth worked for Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald, LLP, Commonwealth Health and Ufberg and Associates before joining Wilkes.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., and her Juris Doctor in Law from St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, N.Y. Elizabeth resides in Dallas, Pa.
