Dr. Daren A. Ellerbee is a respected social impact strategist and principal of IncluCity, a consulting firm advancing equitable, community-rooted innovation. She brings extensive experience across the nonprofit, higher education and government sectors with a focus on inclusive wealth building, education access and community development.
Previously, Dr. Ellerbee led Pittsburgh’s Innovation Team as part of the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative through the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, where she advanced local strategies for climate action and economic justice. At the University of Pittsburgh she founded and directed two high-impact centers, the Community Engagement Center in Homewood and the University Educational Outreach Center, focused on expanding opportunity for historically disinvested communities.
A dedicated civic leader, Dr. Ellerbee co-chairs the Educational Development Committee of the Pittsburgh Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She previously served on the Pennsylvania Advisory Commission for African American Affairs and the Board of Directors for Public Source. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Women of Excellence (2023) Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40 (2018) and the City of Pittsburgh’s Citizen Service Award. She holds a Doctor of Education in Urban Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric and Africana Studies from the University of Pittsburgh as well as a Master of Science in Communications and Information Systems from Robert Morris University.