“Ellen has written quite a few feature articles on collegiate retail operations and trends for our association’s magazine, The College Store. She always comes through with a great piece, even when the assignment is a bit vague and possible interviewees don’t cooperate. She sometimes suggests an interesting sidebar or a different take on the topic. I know I can count on Ellen to submit her work on time (even early!) and to remember to request images from stores. Her articles, which usually need very little editing, flow well and cover the topic thoroughly. I can heartily recommend Ellen’s talents.”

–Cindy Evans Ruckman, Director of Publications, National Association of College Stores

“Ellen has been writing a monthly column for the Getting Ahead section of Express basically since the section began. She has never missed a deadline and has always turned in spectacular work that needs minimal, if any, editing. One month, when the profile subject turned out to be recalcitrant about photos, Ellen worked through the weekend to locate an alternate. Highly recommended.”

—Rachel Kaufman, former editor, Washington Post Express

“Ellen was one of my favorite freelancers at Washington Flyer magazine and Rudy Maxa’s Traveler. She wrote numerous travel articles on destinations as diverse as Dublin and Aruba. Her pieces were always well-researched, lively, and in on time.”

—Heidi Daniel, former editor, Washington Flyer and Rudy Maxa’s Traveler

“Ellen is a thorough and organized writer who knows what her editors and readers want, and she gets the very best information to them. She puts a lot of time and attention into planning her trips and gathering information afterwards, and all of this attention to detail results in articles that keep her readers interested and entertained. Her pieces about Hershey’s Chocolate-Covered February celebration — one that ran in Baltimore magazine in February 2009 and another for The Washington Post in January 2011 — are among my favorite stories ever written about the event. They each offered a comprehensive overview of the month-long event and captured the experience in a way that made readers really crave a trip to Hershey!”

—Mindy Bianca, former public relations director, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts

“When I hired Ellen to work on ICBA’s Independent Banker magazine, the publication while well-performing and vital, was backlogged and missing deadlines because we had been short-staffed for quite some time. In a short period of time and with diligent effort and long hours, Ellen was able to get us back on track and even ensure we had a surplus of stories in inventory. She is a talented editor and writer, who is willing to put forth new ideas to improve and add value to the final product.”

—Karen Tyson, former senior vice president, communications, Independent Community Bankers of America

“As a long-time freelance writer for Washingtonian, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ellen for nearly 8 years. Her eye for detail, fabulous sense of story, loyalty and dedication to her work (which directly impacted my published piece for the better), not to mention her quick sense of humor, upbeat personality, and just all around bigheartedness in general, makes Ellen a pleasure to be around – both professionally and personally.”

—Cathy Alter, journalist/author

“Some editors are devoted grammarians. Others are skilled at conceiving of must-read topics and working well with both could-be-better text and can-be-difficult authors. Ellen Ryan is one of those rare professionals who is an expert editor at all levels. Hire her! I did, and I’ve always been proud of how smart she made me look for doing so.”

–Karla Taylor, former editor and publisher, Currents, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

“I wrote articles for Ellen when she handled editorial at ICBA and she was great! She never just handed over a topic; she sent meticulous details on the highlights she wanted covered and any contact info she already had. She often paved the way, making initial contacts with a subject(s) and telling them to expect my call. She’s extremely well-organized, giving me plenty of time from assignment to deadline, and whenever she wanted changes, again she was very specific. I look forward to my next assignment from her!”

–Wendy Meyeroff, owner, WM Marketing Communications

“Ellen was able to assimilate quickly to our corporate culture, assess our communication needs and jump right into her tasks. She revived our social media projects and spearheaded a task force to construct a new website that will improve our brand and integrate the organization’s many intranet functions, connecting our 11,000 employees in 30 states with our administrative office in Arlington, VA and our center of operations in Kentucky.”

–Gayle Davis, former national trainer, Experience Works

“Ellen Ryan is a dynamic and enthusiastic instructor. She comes to Writer’s Center workshops eager and well-prepared to share her vast knowledge as a writer and editor. I was extremely impressed with both the quantity and quality of information Ms. Ryan conveyed during each session of Getting Your Nonfiction Articles Into Print. Not a minute was wasted. She supported useful, practical information with appropriate, often highly entertaining examples from her years of experience in the field. Equally as valuable was the feedback Ms. Ryan provided on assignments. … Her detailed and astute comments pointed out both strengths and weaknesses, helping us to revise our work, making it more effective with each draft. Being in Ellen Ryan’s presence was a great pleasure and wonderful learning experience. I highly recommend her workshops to anyone interested in seeing their nonfiction articles published.”

—Bruce Johansen, writer, Twin Cities Daily Planet