Ellen Switkes

Ellen Switkes is a Senior Associate and Co-founder of the 'Breakfast with George' mentoring program for higher education executives. She serves as Director of the Berkeley Institutes on Higher Education (BIHE), focusing on U.S. research universities, particularly the University of California. A former Assistant Vice President of Academic Advancement at UC (retired as emeritus in 2006), she has influenced policies on tenure, faculty rights, and race/gender-based admissions. Post-retirement, she co-founded the University of California Global Health Institute (UCGHI) and is a Lecturer at Berkeley's Graduate School of Education.

Switkes holds a PhD in inorganic chemistry from MIT. Her academic career includes teaching chemistry and women's studies at UC Santa Cruz. Her research interests span higher education governance, policy design, and workforce management. She has contributed to initiatives such as UC’s school improvement projects, including the California Alliance for Math and Science.

Her publications address financial challenges in universities, retirement policies, and academic governance. She currently consults for Ulibarri-Mason Global HR and serves as Acting Director of the Berkeley Retirement Center.

Awards: None explicitly listed.
Grants/Advising: Developed programs on faculty policy, including tenure-clock extensions for parents and race/gender admissions policies.
Labs/Teams: Leads BIHE and collaborates across UC campuses via UCGHI.