Ellen McCarthy

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Ellen M. McCarthy is an American urban planner who helped shape development in Washington, DC. She served as the Director of the DC Office of Planning from 2004 to 2007, after being appointed by Mayor Anthony Williams. Earlier in her career, she was the Deputy Director for Development Review, Neighborhood Planning and Historic Preservation, and she later led the DC Downtown Partnership. Between roles in the public sector, she ran a private planning practice and worked as Director of Planning and Land Use for Arent Fox’s DC office. She studied at the University of Maryland and earned a Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University. She left the planning director position after opposition from some wealthy Ward 3 homeowners who disagreed with her policies.