Karen L. Ellis retired in December 2014 as the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIG/I) with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She was responsible for conducting investigations of criminal activity, waste, fraud and abuse in the programs and operations of USDA. Before being appointed AIG/I, Ms. Ellis served as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations with USDA OIG. Ms. Ellis also served as the Special Assistant to the AIG/I. She previously held the positions of Special Agent-in-Charge in the Program Investigations Division in Washington, DC and the Northeast Region in New York, NY and as Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region in Beltsville, MD. From 1989 through 1997, Ms. Ellis was a Special Agent in several USDA OIG offices including: Washington, DC; San Francisco, CA; and New York, NY. Ms. Ellis began her career with OIG as a coop student in New York City in 1988. Ms. Ellis graduated from Kean University in 1989 with a Bachelors of Arts in Public Administration. In 1997, she received her Master’s degree in Public Administration from The Key Executive Leadership Program at The American University. She completed the USDA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 1999. Ms. Ellis was born in New York, NY. She currently resides in Bristow, VA with her husband and three children. She loves running and exercise, and spending time with her family.

karenlumellis@gmail.com