Diversity reboot
Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion at Morgan Stanley
Charles Ellis (he/him) is a creator, writer, and DEIB leader. He joined Morgan Stanley in January 2023 as the Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion Advisor for the U.S. Banks.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Charles began his career at Condé Nast as an intern in the fashion closet of Glamour Magazine. After nearly 13 years and stints at GQ, W, WIRED, Opening Ceremony, Golf Digest, and many others, his trajectory has spanned across many industries and sectors including editorial, marketing, advertising sales, event production, and digital strategy. Most recently, he served as the D&I Lead for Condé Nast’s Commercial Revenue Division where he established partnerships with organizations like the NAACP, Gold House, Color of Change, ACLU, ColorComm, AdColor and The Asian American Foundation. Notably, he was also the founder and chair of Condé Nast's first employee networking group and the inaugural chair of their Global Diversity Council for Diversity & Inclusion.
Aside from his mission to create more spaces of belonging for people of color, Charles finds joy in the arts including music, painting, and cooking. He's also an avid Lego fan.
Charles is a graduate of Wayne State University with BA in Journalism and graduated with honors from the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity. He also holds a Diversity & Inclusion certification from Cornell University. He lives in Long Island City, NY.