"Ellen had a knack for bringing people together to drive change. She did not need to be in the forefront; rather, Ellen was a selfless convener who acknowledged others contributions, sincerely listened and learned from their ideas, and leveraged their input to create change."

- O. Jane Morgan, former Children's Bureau Capacity Building Director who worked with Ellen W. Carey

Ellen was the Director of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Division at the Children's Bureau in the 1990s up until she passed away suddenly while recovering from surgery in 2003.  Ellen used her position of power to influence change at the Bureau during a time when very few people of color were leading national child welfare policy and practice. She was instrumental in the development of the capacity building division at the Children’s Bureau - which remains to this day, countless grants that helped children/youth in foster care achieve timely permanency, and the issuance of guidance to improve provision of services, especially to children and families of color, by agencies nationwide.

Ellen recognized the importance of hearing from diverse audiences. She regularly convened working groups of state, regional and private providers across the country. Eager to hear from those with lived (on the ground) experiences about how to improve permanency outcomes for children, youth and families led Ellen to work with partners on the Adoption Safe Families Act of 1997 and the Children's Bureau signature program, AdoptUSKids, which began in 2001.

Before her career with the Federal Government, Ellen worked in the local Washington, D.C., area in the field of adoption. She held positions with several jurisdictions in Maryland, as well as with the Consortium for Child Welfare, Family and Child Services, Inc., in Washington, D.C. Throughout her career, Ellen was known for her passionate advocacy for adoption, foster care, and the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

In loving memory of Ellen W. Carey: a natural convener, collaborator, and driver of change, NAA is seeking contributions to provide a scholarship in the amount of $1,000.00 biannually to an outstanding student studying social work at Howard University – Ellen W. Carey’s alma mater.