Ellen Stenard was born in upstate New York and grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska where she spent summers camping and exploring the wildreness with her family and later attending the Fairbanks Summer Fine Arts Camp to study music and the visual arts.

She attended The University of Oregon where she earned a degree in music performance and studied visual arts and history. The next year she graduated from the University of Chicago with a MA in Humanities. After graduation she worked in music, sports and publishing, honing her skills in marketing, design, publishing and event management.

Ellen currently resides in Portland, Oregon where she works in marketing and design and maintains a steady list of freelance clients. She enjoys photography, travel, and martial arts.