Ellen Kahn is the senior director, programs and partnerships at the Human Rights Campaign. Since joining HRC in 2005, Kahn has provided vision and deep expertise in shaping public education and advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ youth and families. Kahn oversees a portfolio of highly successful programs and initiatives that advance LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices in key institutions of daily life; All Children—All Families; Welcoming Schools; the HBCU Program, Health and Aging, and Youth Well-Being, which includes HRC’s Time to Thrive summits and the Project THRIVE campaign. Kahn is the staff lead for the Parents for Transgender Equality and brings high level thought leadership to HRC’s work to protect transgender youth at home, at school and in the public square.

Prior to joining HRC, Kahn spent 12 years at the Whitman-Walker Health in various roles; director of the Lesbian Services Program, associate director of LGBTQ Health Promotion, and as supervisor of a behavioral health program for people with living with HIV. While at Whitman-Walker Health, Kahn established “Choosing Children,” a robust program for LGBTQ+ parents and prospective parents, including “Maybe Baby” groups, an annual “Parenting Day,” and a range of support groups for LGBTQ+ parents.

Kahn was a founding board member of Rainbow Families DC, the capital area’s support and education organization for LGBTQ+-headed families. She has facilitated “Maybe Baby” groups for over 15 years and consults with dozens of prospective LGBTQ parents each year. Kahn received her B.S. from Temple University and her M.S.S. from the Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work and Social Research. Kahn is the proud mom of two fabulous adult daughters, and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her wife and their precious pup, Tootsie.