Managing Director
Ellen Klasson
Industry Involvement
- Vice Chair, Urban Revitalization Council (Gold Flight)
- Past Chair, Women’s Leadership Initiative of the Americas
- Member, Talent Acquisition Group
Expertise & Focus Areas
Ellen leads RCLCO’s Talent Advisory group
Ellen Klasson is a Managing Director in RCLCO’s Management Consulting (RMC) practice, where she directs executive search engagements for leadership roles at development, investment, and land use companies across all asset classes. Ellen’s consultative nature has enabled her to identify and attract talent for both traditional and nuanced roles, and her deep understanding of the business lends itself to a more analytical approach of a candidate’s viability. Working for twenty years in the real estate industry (with a career beginning in RCLCO’s Real Estate Economics group) has allowed Ellen to forge long-lasting relationships with and earn the trust of both clients and candidates.
Before joining RCLCO, Ellen spent five years as a Managing Director at Terra Search Partners, a national boutique executive search firm focused exclusively on the real estate industry. Previously she worked at the Urban Land Institute as the Senior Director of Leadership. Ellen co-directed CohnReznick’s Real Estate Development Advisory practice, analyzing real estate opportunities for developers and municipalities. She is also a former Vice President of Economic Development at Central Atlanta Progress, where she attracted new investment into Downtown Atlanta and assisted with the development of the Center for Civil & Human Rights.
Ellen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University and a Master of City & Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Ellen lives just outside of Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children. She loves to explore cities and small towns and follows midcentury modern architecture and design.