Ellie Bertani

Ellie Bertani is President and CEO of the GitLab Foundation, a private foundation launched in 2022 with a mission to improve lifetime earnings and economic mobility worldwide. In its first three years, the Foundation has approved more than 140 grants, unlocking billions of dollars in projected lifetime earnings for individuals across the U.S., Latin America, and Africa. Known for its agile, transparent, and outcomes-oriented approach, the Foundation has also helped shift the philanthropic sector toward more evidence-driven and collaborative practices. Under Ellie’s leadership, the Foundation has pioneered bold investments in areas like AI for economic opportunity. GitLab Foundation was one of the first funders to back this space and co-founded Opportunity AI, now the largest global network of funders committed to advancing economic mobility through AI. By combining rigorous Social ROI modeling with a community-centered lens, GitLab Foundation has become a recognized leader in outcomes-focused philanthropy. A former frontline service worker herself, Ellie’s lived experience has fueled her career advancing worker economic stability and mobility. Previously, she held workforce strategy, innovation, and product development roles at Wells Fargo and Walmart, where she led efforts that delivered instant access to earned pay, scheduling predictability, hiring barrier removal, and industry-leading learning and career programs. In 2020, she received Walmart’s highest recognition, the Sam Walton Entrepreneurship Award, for Live Better U, the largest free educational benefits program in the United States. Earlier in her career, Ellie held roles with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. State Department, Third Sector Capital Partners, and Rotary International. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.‍