Bert Ellis

Bert Ellis, with two degrees from the University of Virginia, is a loyal alumnus. He has donated more than $10 million to his alma mater, and even co-owns a campus hangout, the Spot. Mr. Ellis co-founded a dissident alumni group, the Jefferson Council. And when Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, was elected governor of Virginia in 2021, largely on a pledge to overhaul education, Mr. Ellis saw an opening. Now Mr. Ellis, 69, is on the university’s board of trustees. Bert Ellis received his BA in Economics from UVA in 1975 and his MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at UVA in 1979. He serves as the CEO and Chairman of Ellis Capital (www.elliscapital.net) a consulting and investment firm primarily focused on the media, technology, healthcare, and fintech industries. Mr. Ellis primarily manages acquisitions, strategic relationships, and fund raising for his companies but has also been integrally involved in sales, operations, and strategic planning. He has managed multiple high growth companies and achieved significant returns for his investors. Mr. Ellis currently serves as the CEO of Johnson Energy Storage (JES) in Atlanta. JES is developing next generation technology for solid state and lithium air batteries. Mr. Ellis previously founded and served as CEO of Act III Broadcasting, Ellis Communications, Raycom Sports, and iXL and was a founding investor and Board member of WebMD. Over the course of his broadcast career, he has owned and operated 46 television stations across the US. He is a founding investor and/or Board member and/or senior advisor of Vivex Biologics; Brightwell Payments; Brash Music; MAXEX; Semantic-AI; AVCT; VoApps; JTEC Energy and Johnson Energy Systems. He also is the Managing Partner of The White Spot Diner in Charlottesville, Va. Mr. Ellis has served as Executive Producer of the following films: It Might Get Loud, Act of Valor, The Hornet’s Nest, High Water and Learning to Live Together. He currently serves on the Board of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in Atlanta and previously served on the Board of the San Diego Zoo for 12 years. He was the Founding Chairman of the San Diego Zoo Kids Television Network. He is the co-founder and now serves as President and a Board member of The Jefferson Council in Charlottesville, VA. Mr. Ellis was appointed to the Board of Visitors by Governor Youngkin in 2022.