Mattie Ellis is a behavioral health researcher, nonprofit consultant, and Master of Social Work candidate at the UNC-Chapel Hill (grad. 2027). Starting her career as a growth strategist and management consultant for emerging consumer brands, she has since shifted her focus to advancing equitable service delivery and organizational sustainability across the arts and mental health sectors. 

 

Mattie integrates evidence-based practices, community perspectives, strategic partnerships, and implementation science into her work, with a particular interest in incorporating creative arts and lived experience into mental health research and programming. She is passionate about using body mapping and other participatory arts-based methods to promote culturally responsive, recovery-oriented, and person-centered approaches to mental health care.

 

Mattie completed a visiting research fellowship with Black Dog Institute & UNSW-Sydney in 2026, supporting the Arts-Based Knowledge Translation Lab and Lived Experience team.