Ella Swinnerton

Ella believes that development is the heartbeat of maintaining a nonprofit and is passionate about using her relational, communication, and organizational skills to ensure that her organization has the needed resources to fulfill its mission. As a previous Semester in the City fellow (Spring '24), she is excited to work hard every day to support the same nonprofit that opened so many doors for her.

She received her bachelor's degree in public policy and journalism with a concentration in public relations from UMass Amherst. Ella fell in love with learning how to write compelling works to various audiences. She dedicated a majority of her policy research and writing to homelessness and affordable housing policy, which is a subject area that she cares deeply about. 

Her nonprofit experience started with Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless service provider on its strategic initiatives team. She continued her dedication to the homeless sector with the development team at a national affordable housing centered nonprofit, Community Solutions. Ella then worked on outreach and engagement for a food-insecurity-based nonprofit in Hartford, CT. 

A native of Queens, NY, and New Jersey, Ella is excited to see what Boston is about. Outside of work, she is a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan repping her team in Patriots territory, and she enjoys cooking various cuisines, curating music playlists, watching a good movie or show, being in nature, and exploring new places.