Dr. Jenny Ellis joined the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in November 2024 as the Chief Data Officer. In this role, she is responsible for providing data governance expertise, program oversight and implementation of DFC’s data architecture, and enabling the use of data to support strategic goals.
Dr. Ellis has been a data professional for over 25 years in the areas of statistics, data analytics, data science, and leadership with 15 years in the federal government. Prior to joining DFC, she served as the Chief Data Officer at the Office of the Naval Inspector General (IG) from 2020 to 2024. Her visionary leadership established the first data strategy for the Navy IG Enterprise and changed how the organization viewed and used data. She implemented innovative solutions to bridge data gaps and leverage predictive analytics to improve operational efficiency and decision making. She also established the first data literacy program for the Navy IG Enterprise and worked with other federal IG offices to promote the benefits of data-informed practices.
Dr. Ellis previously served as the Senior Research Analyst for the Research and Evaluation Division within IG from 2014 to 2020. In this position, she served as the technical authority and leader for data analytics of IG and other Navy data. She started her federal career at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the Department of Transportation (DOT) from 2006 to 2011 evaluating safety programs and leading strategic planning and data-driven performance initiatives for the agency. Between DOT and the Navy, Dr. Ellis lived in Dakar, Senegal and Kyiv, Ukraine, while her husband served as a Foreign Service Officer at USAID missions. During this time, she developed her data science skills.
Dr. Ellis holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University and a B.A. in Psychology from Rice University. She is a member of the American Statistical Association and Women in Data Science and Analytics. She received an IBM Data Science Specialization in 2020. While at Navy IG, she received the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award (2017) and the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award (2024).