Stephanie is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) with extensive experience in advising high-impact individuals and companies. She believes strongly in being a compassionate and generous member of society and brings nearly 30 years of professional and personal life experience in governance, family wealth, and nonprofit leadership to the social sector.

In the wake of the racial uprisings of 2020, she co-founded Giving Gap, an online database  to help donors find and support Black-founded and led organizations  in their communities. Having served in a variety of professional capacities—non-profit CEO, social enterprise COO, foundation and non-profit trustee, and corporate board member—Stephanie’s extensive background and deep knowledge makes her uniquely well-positioned to be a trusted advisor to the world’s most generous families and institutions.

Stephanie’s expertise in navigating wealth, impactful generosity, and civic engagement is frequently sought by leading philanthropic institutions and mainstream publications, and she has frequently appeared as a keynote speaker at major social sector convenings.

Several Seattle mayors and former Washington Governor Gary Locke have appointed Stephanie  to serve on a variety of boards and public commissions. She is  currently a member of  the Seattle Art Museum’s Museum Development Authority Board and the board of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. She was appointed a Dean of Philanthropy in 2022 by The Purposeful Planning Institute.

Stephanie has BA degrees from UCLA in both English Literature and Biochemistry. Given her keen interest in science,Stephanie’s  post-graduate years were spent in university labs working on stem cell and AIDS-related research. She has two adult children and lives in Seattle with her husband, the historian Douglas Smith.

RECOGNITION & AWARDS

• Business Hall of Fame, Junior Achievement (2023)
• The Creative Catalyst Award, Artist Trust
• City of Seattle Proclamation “Stephanie Ellis-Smith Day” October 21, 2009
• Community Hero Award, The Microsoft Corporation
• Best Expander of Cultural Boundaries, Seattle Weekly
• 40 Under 40 Award, Puget Sound Business Journal
• Talented Tenth Award, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• The Evergreen Award for Non-Profit Leadership
• Champions of Unity Award – Northwest African American Museum (2024)