Ella M. Outlaw has worked as Russ Mittermeier’s executive assistant for 30 years, for the last four years with the added role as operations manager.  In these roles, her responsibilities include serving as cost center manager and finance monitor tasked with budget oversight, financial monitoring, restricted grant management and administration, risk management, and operations. She also served as the liaison with human resources, IT, and legal services at Conservation International. At CI, she provided administrative support to Russ and department staff, overseeing his and the department’s calendar and meeting schedules, travel arrangements, correspondence, event support, among other duties. Ella was born and raised in Washington, DC, graduating from Chamberlain High School and Career Center, with one year at the Washington School for Secretaries. While her work background is business administration, she has always had a love of nature.  She grew up taking care of a small menagerie of pets–a duck, parakeets, the family’s pet German Shepherd, fish and a painted turtle.