POLITICAL Ellen Hesen: Chief of Staff for Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer HOME LIFE Except for her time away at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ellen has always lived in her beloved native Louisville. “We have 400 square miles of city and the largest urban forest in the country,” she says. “Where else can you find everything in one city?” Ellen currently lives in the Highlands and has three grown step-children and five grandchildren.
a lot of practice with the chaos part,” she says. Several years ago, Ellen lost her husband after having lost her parents. “That was hard. But the lesson to learn is how to have the right balance in your life. I think we all, especially women, struggle with that. Every decade in life is a little bit different, with a new set of circumstances, but we learn to adjust.”
LEARNING THE ROPES A history major in college, Ellen went on to law school at the University of Louisville. “I hadn’t really thought about being a lawyer per se, but I had started getting more interested in government and law toward the end of college,” she says. “And there were limited jobs for history majors, although it was a very good background.” Ellen attended law school at night and had a variety of jobs during the day. “I worked at the county attorney’s office and for some private practitioners. I ran errands. I was also the information desk lady at the Hall of Justice. That was fun, and I learned my way around the courthouse pretty fast.”
24/7 In her current position as the mayor’s right-hand person, Ellen is front and center in whatever is happening in Louisville. “City government is very quick-moving and intense, and there’s always something going on,” she says. “People think about public safety, but we also have parks, the zoo, and the library system. Jails are always running, and we have folks repairing potholes and answering 911 calls — it’s a 24/7 operation running on three shifts. But it’s also a really fun time to be working in the mayor’s office. There’s a momentum of younger talented people moving into Louisville who are energetic and enthusiastic about participating in the community. It’s exciting. I really believe in the mayor and in where he wants to take the city.”
City government “is very quick-
moving and intense, and there’s always something going on.
CIVIC-MINDED After establishing herself as an attorney in the private sector, Ellen entered the public arena. “I was interested in current events and civic issues,” she says. “In high school, I volunteered in campaigns and worked at the precincts. So I thought I would just take a sabbatical from private practice and go work for state government for a couple of years, but I found it to be really rewarding and professionally challenging.” Ellen has continued to work in government. Prior to joining the mayor’s team, she held positions in several different agencies, and she served as general counsel for the state auditor and most recently for Gov. Steve Beshear. “I’ve been lucky. I’ve worked with some great elected officials and got to feel like I’m really making a difference. And now I get to ride down the street and see things that I had a hand in making happen — from a new sidewalk to something big like the Bridges Project.” TRIAL BY FIRE Ellen has had experience in staying calm in the midst of chaos and keeping her equilibrium in difficult times. “I still have to work at it, but I’ve had
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TIME OUT Ellen treats herself to a relaxing spa massage when things get hectic. “I like to do that on Sunday nights, then have a glass of wine and sleep really well.” She also loves to get together with family and friends for meals. “I love to cook, but I don’t get to do it much anymore. I have all the accoutrements. I just need to find the time and get organized.” Two things she dreads doing, however, are ironing and washing windows. “Those are the two worst things in the world! That, and cleaning out closets.” FINAL NOTE Ellen played guitar in high school and now plays the dulcimer. “I pick on it a little bit on holidays. It’s an easier instrument to play than guitar when you haven’t been practicing much. But I wish I could sing. I can’t carry a note, not even in the shower. And I wish I could whistle. I can do it a little, but not using my fingers. I need to work on that at some point.”
WORKING THE RULES Although she’s not in a counsel role as the mayor’s chief of staff — “I’m a ‘recovering lawyer,’” she quips — Ellen finds her legal background helpful when trying to accomplish goals. “People often joke that if you take something to the legal department, they’ll just tell you, ‘No.’ I do like to work within the rules, but I try to figure out ways to get to the ‘yes’ so we can get things done. And the folks I’ve worked with in government have been really great at coming together to do that.”