Scholarship and Biography
Ellen Smith is Associate Professor and Director of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University; and an Affiliate Faculty Member in Brandeis's Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Ellen is also principal of Museumsmith, a firm specializing in museum exhibitions and historic site interpretations throughout the nation.
Trained as both an academic historian and a museum curator, Ellen has published more than three dozen books, articles, and exhibition catalogues including The Jews of Boston, co-edited with Jonathan D. Sarna. At Brandeis she teaches courses in leadership, American Jewish history, visual and material culture, museum studies, and team consulting; and co-directs on-line and on-site training programs for Jewish professionals and organizations. A popular speaker locally and throughout the country, Ellen sits on numerous academic and non-profit boards and has won numerous awards for her leadership in the Jewish community.