Ellen has been involved with soccer in some way for most of her life. She has been a TOP Soccer Volunteer and worked at the Special Olympics as a referee. As a player, she was a member of the 2006-07 Class AA Girls Soccer Team at Union-Endicott High School that was one of the state finalists. In high school, she was a member of the Union-Endicott Science Olympiad team and the National Honor Society, and graduated in the top five percent of her class. Ellen was also an NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete in both 2006 and 2007, and was a member of the Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) Senior All-Star Soccer team. She also was very active in her church, teaching Religious Education classes to students ranging in age from first to fourth grade, and was a recipient of the Diocese of Rochester Hands of Christ Award in 2007. Ellen is currently a freshman at the University of Buffalo.

As a referee, she started as one of the first Recreational Youth Referees in our state in 2002. By 2004, she had upgraded to become a grade-8 referee and was voted by the Binghamton District as the Young Female Referee of the year in both 2006 and 2007. She has participated in numerous tournaments, including Gettysburg, Brockport and Newark Valley. She was also a referee in the NYSWYSA State Cup in both 2006 and 2007. As a referee, she is athletic and confident, and has been a quick study of the game. It has been a pleasure to watch her skills as a referee grow.