Ella Ziff, MSW (she/her) 

Ella Zeilinger Ziff has spent her 40-year career working with school-aged children. She was a lead classroom teacher in public and Jewish day schools, including Community Day School, and she served as a Day Camp Director, Children’s and Youth Program Director, and held other administrative positions in the Jewish Community Center setting. During the last decade of her career, she held the position of Director of Support Services at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh and transformed the support program from a two-person department to a full-service one with a staff of seven. One of the highlights of her tenure was establishing a mental health model for school-based counseling/consultation at Hillel, which is still a thriving model for all three day schools. 

Throughout her career, she has tirelessly advocated for accessible education and programs that meet children’s learning and emotional needs. 

Today, more than ever, Ella wants to ensure that all parents have the knowledge and the tools necessary to effectively collaborate with teachers, administrators, and support staff on behalf of their children. As the Education Support Specialist, Ella will be able to support families as their children move through their education journey.  This is done through collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and empowering parents with knowledge on how to effectively advocate on behalf of their children.  She believes a strong home-school connection is one of the most important ones for a child’s success. 

Ella holds a BA degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Social Work and joins us with a wealth of experience in and out of the classroom. 

When Ella is not working on education programs in the school, she volunteers with refugee families in Pittsburgh.  She ensures they are enrolled in the appropriate classes, monitors their support service needs and their real-time experiences, and works closely with the children’s teachers while educating the parents to be partners and advocates for their children’s American education.