Ellen Harrington-Kane

Ellen Harrington-Kane is the Assistant Vice President of Affiliate Network Advancement for Easter Seals national headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. With over 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist and rehabilitation director for in-patient and outpatient therapy service and a master’s degree in Health Services Management, Ms. Harrington-Kane brings the business aspects of practice management to organizational operations and administration.

Prior to joining Easter Seals, Ms. Harrington-Kane served as Director of Physical Medicine for a hospital system in Florida, which included in-patient clinics, outpatient clinics, an inclusive fitness center and contracts with other local agencies. During her time in Florida she worked on a local, regional and state level to develop early intervention policies and practices and provided training for the early intervention services for the State of Florida.

She is passionate about global health care and eliminating health outcomes disparities. Ms. Harrington-Kane provides consultation, training and technical assistance to Easter Seals affiliate leadership and boards of directors nationwide. In her capacity as Assistant Vice President, Ms. Harrington-Kane shares her expertise in policy, program development, financial management, strategic visioning and organizational structure. Her innovative spirit is exemplified with her work in the treatment of autism, initiating Easter Seals’ Autism Initiative, the organization’s largest fundraising initiative in recent years, resulting in Easter Seals being recognized as the country’s largest provider of services for people with autism. Additionally, she partnered Easter Seals with the PLAY Project for research funded by the National Institute of Health to prove the efficacy of a new approach to treatment for young children. This work led to her recognition as the 2007 recipient of the Robert E. Bradford Leadership Award, selected by the governing board of Easter Seals headquarters.

In addition to her work for Easter Seals headquarters, Ms. Harrington-Kane is a surveyor for CARF International, reviewing compliance to over 1,500 quality standards for organizations around the world.