Lora-Ellen McKinney is the daughter of a third-generation Baptist minister and an expert in community health, social services, social justice, and education. She currently heads her own consulting firm in Seattle, WA. Her Kellogg National Fellowship Award provided her dispute resolution training through the Harvard Negotiation Project and Eastern Mennonite University's Conflict Analysis and Transformation program. McKinney received her MS and PhD from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.