“It’s not an overstatement to say that Base 11 would not be where it is today, were it not for Ingrid’s passion, persistence and leadership,” said Landon Taylor, founder and CEO of Base 11. “Her work on behalf of Base 11 accelerated more than 11,000 students on their pathway to what we call the Victory Circle, and each of those individuals brought their experiences and insights back to their families, friends and communities. Her overall impact is truly immeasurable.”
Base 11 Vice Chairman Doug Bender adds, “We are perpetually grateful to Ingrid for her role in impacting the lives of students and young people, introducing them to the world of opportunities within STEM, and empowering them with not only the skills, but the belief, that they can succeed in these industries. We look forward to continuing the great work she has done.”
Ellerbe led and launched several programs for Base 11 including structuring and managing an IT workforce development program on behalf of Springboard, which was funded by Ellie Mae. In 2017, she led a Base 11 team to manage and enhance the Verizon Innovation Learning — Minority Males Program, which she helped expand from 16 to 24 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), serving 1,500 African American and Latino middle school boys through summer and Saturday programming.
She also spearheaded Base 11’s work with the Deloitte Foundation, including the adaptation of the Autonomous Systems Engineering Academy, in collaboration with University of California at Irvine (UCI), to serve high school students at Cristo Rey in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The success of that endeavor led to the development of a data analytics curriculum with the Foundation, which has since expanded to four high schools in the Cristo Rey network.
Ellerbe was also instrumental in establishing three Base 11 Innovation Centers at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, the UCI Beall Applied Innovation Program at The Cove, and in upcycled containers located in Compton, California. She also collaborated with Moreno Valley College on the design and build of their iMake Mobile Unit, a retrofitted RV, as well as their iMake Innovation Center on campus. Additionally, she assisted the establishment of a small-scale Innovation Center at Cristo Rey Philadelphia, followed by a full-build out in their new facility.
She sustained and grew the Base 11 Summer Fellowships and Academic-year Internship programs by securing grants from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation while simultaneously adding 10 new academic partners. She also expanded the STEM Entrepreneur Program to many students with the support of the Eva Longoria Foundation.
Ellerbe oversaw the game-changing Base 11 Space Challenge, a $1 million+ prize competition for a student-led university teams to design, build, and launch a liquid-fuel rocket to an altitude of 100 kilometers (the Karman Line), which attracted 32 universities initially. Aware of the lack of diversity among university rocketry teams, Ellerbe led the grant process for the $1.6 million Aerospace Workforce and Leadership Development Grant for HBCUs, sponsored by Base 11 and Sigma Pi Phi. The grant drew proposals from eight HBCUs resulting in Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD selected as the winner. Since then, Morgan State has partnered with Purdue University to establish a dual degree program in aerospace engineering and aeronautics.
In 2020, she oversaw the launch of the Next Frontier Conference & Expo 2020, a two-day virtual conference attended by 500 students and corporate sponsors which will also become an annual program for the organization.
All of these accomplishments were enabled by her work to expand partnerships and programs with donors, family foundations, and corporate partners, and to recruit team members. In 2019, Ellerbe recruited Teniel Jones, who has recently been promoted to Director of Operations, reporting to the CEO.
“My time with Base 11 allowed me to contribute to the legacy I want to leave when people look at my life’s work. It provided me the responsibility and opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of students at a time when the world needs even more diverse talent,” said Ellerbe. “Finding that talent through innovative approaches and programs while working in tandem with committed partners has been nothing less than fulfilling. I will continue to applaud and support this very important work.
Ellerbe is a longtime education advocate. She served as a national board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and an advisory board member for Orange County (California) Excellent Public Schools Initiative. She currently serves as a national board member of Project Tomorrow.
Prior to coming to Base 11, she held executive positions at MIND Research Institute, Carnegie Learning, Edison Schools/Newton Learning, ProQuest Company’s education unit, XanEdu, Boxer Learning, Hewlett-Packard, SkillsBank Corporation, Commodore, Davidson & Associates, and Broderbund.
About Base 11
Base 11 is a nonprofit 501c3 STEM workforce and entrepreneur development company empowering women and minorities with the Access, Awareness, and Belief needed to succeed in Next Frontier Industries of the 21st century. Base 11 facilitates partnerships with industry, academia and philanthropy which deliver to employers a pre-recruitment pipeline of well-trained, highly skilled STEM talent. Through Next Frontier programs, facilities and events, Base 11 and its partners set students — and those returning to the workforce — on direct pathways to four-year STEM degrees, well paid STEM jobs, and the opportunity to launch their own STEM related business. For more information, please visit www.Base11.com. Base 11 is a DBA of the Center for Innovations in Education, a nonprofit 501(c) 3 – IRS exemption EIN# 26-4365936.
# # #