Dr. Daren Ellerbee Named CEO of Pittsburgh Scholar House

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Dr. Daren Ellerbee has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh Scholar House.

A respected leader and Pittsburgh native, Dr. Ellerbee most recently served as the head of the Pittsburgh Innovation Team for the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. In her new role, she will focus on elevating and expanding PSH as a critical leader and resource within the continuum of care dedicated to helping income-eligible single parents earn two and four-year degrees as a two-generation strategy to enable economic mobility within the City of Pittsburgh.“It is a privilege to lead Pittsburgh Scholar House and to carry forward its mission of empowering parents and children together on their journey to brighter futures,” said Dr. Daren Ellerbee, in a statement. “As a Pittsburgher, I have witnessed the remarkable resilience and talent within our communities. I am eager to collaborate with families and partners to break down barriers, expand access to education, and build opportunities that will benefit generations to come.”

The PSH was established in April 2022 and operates in alignment with the Family Scholar House’s strategic goal of helping participants complete their post-secondary education and enter high-growth careers to enable economic mobility and sustain a better quality of life for them and their children. This goal is achieved through outreach and expansion by providing resources that include innovative and ethical best-practices for data collection and data-informed support services for this subset of the academic community.

The PSH has successfully launched the Wayfinders Program which also includes PSH Residential, and the Next Gen Scholars Initiative. These are outcome driven, cohort-based models, building success-driven services and housing that empowers, prepares and reduces barriers for participants. To date, PSH has had 22 scholars who have successfully completed their post-secondary degrees, and currently serves over 100 scholars and their families.

In 2019, The Heinz Endowments, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, and PNC Foundation provided the original funding in collaboration with Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE) to launch PSH. Additional funders now include the Birmingham Foundation, CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning), Camber Collective, Eden Hall Foundation, First National Bank, McAuley Ministries Foundation, Opportunity Fund, Piatt Family Foundation, Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, Posner Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Segal Family Foundation, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, UPMC Health Plan, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and YWCA Greater Pittsburgh.

“We are incredibly proud of the Pittsburgh Scholar House in its innovative two-gen programming that is steeped in outcome-driven practice,” stated Dr. Gretchen Generett, PSH Board Chair and Duquesne University Dean of the School of Education. “We are so fortunate to have Dr. Daren Ellerbee as its new CEO as she brings her passion, expertise, and experience to a thriving, transformational higher education program.”

PCHE Executive Director and PSH Board Vice Chair, Karina Chavez, added, “We have watched the Pittsburgh Scholar House team build a strong compilation of programmatic offerings and have seen scholars and their children thriving, both academically and personally. Dr. Daren Ellerbee’s exemplary leadership will assist the Pittsburgh Scholar House in expanding its reach, giving more scholars and their children the opportunities that they deserve.”