Mark and Sydney Ellis

Atlanta, GA
Supporting IJM since 2004

Sydney first became acquainted with IJM in 2004 when a friend of hers returned from an internship in Africa and shared about his experiences there. In 2007, she had the opportunity to meet with IJM staff in Chennai, India and Chaing Mai, Thailand and witness first hand the incredible heroism of those engaged in the abolitionist movement. Mark was introduced to IJM through Sydney and their close friends, the Nonnenbergs. Together they are excited to use their professional experiences and network in the southeast to further support IJM.

Mark holds a degree in Political Psychology from Princeton University, an M.Phil. in Management Studies from Cambridge University, and an MBA from Harvard University. Mark is an experienced operator and a serial entrepreneur who has built, commercialized and scaled disruptive technology solutions. Most recently, Mark was co-founder and CEO of Liftoff, a mobile advertising software company. Mark has also served as a political appointee at the Department of Defense. Sydney holds a degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. After a 15 year career in management consulting and banking in San Francisco, she left the corporate world to be a full-time mom. Mark and Sydney live in Atlanta with their two daughters Elizabeth and Lauren, and their feisty golden retriever, Daisy.