Practicing People-Powered Leadership

Ella Hale ’26 has Pitzer President Strom C. Thacker’s personal phone number. Such a level of trust is rare between a student body president and a college president. However, Hale doesn’t just collaborate with senior leadership in Pitzer’s governance system. She works with the whole campus community.

Hale is the president of Pitzer’s Student Senate, which has one of the largest student governments per capita in the U.S. Pitzer senators vote in College Council. Consisting also of faculty and staff, Pitzer’s College Council has the power to recommend requirements for academic degrees and honors, academic divisions, and various committees.

Since Pitzer’s founding, students have molded their education through participatory College governance. They help make decisions in faculty hiring, budgets, campus life, and more. Students serve on both College Council and Board of Trustees committees. Hale has represented students in the Board of Trustees’ Budget Committee, Investment Committee, and Student Affairs Committee.

Even if a student isn’t on the Senate, they can speak during the Senate’s open forum time and co-author legislation with student senators.

“These structures institutionalize student voice and demonstrate Pitzer’s commitment to shared governance in practice, not just in principle,” said Hale.

Cross-Campus Collaboration

Before becoming student body president, Hale was the treasurer and the vice president of finance. These roles had clear-cut standards to follow budget bylaws. Hale said that being president is “a much more dialectic and multifaceted role.”

Pitzer’s Student Senate has three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Hale doesn’t vote as a member of the executive board. Instead, she strives to understand legislation from all sides and empower senators to make informed decisions. She also connects students to the Senate to share their initiatives.

“My role now is far more people- and community-oriented rather than organizational,” said Hale.

Hale is a double major in economics and political studies, which has enriched her Student Senate experience. She has practiced creative economic thinking and attention to detail while also wielding her academic expertise to manage campus budgets. Meanwhile, her political studies coursework influences her approach to leadership and organizational structuring.

“Through studying history, I’ve become more aware of the type of leader I want to be and how groups can coordinate themselves to be open to different ideas while still moving toward progress,” said Hale.

Hale has partnered with Pitzer trustees, senior leadership, faculty, staff, and fellow students to guide the College’s future. She has strengthened her organizational and interpersonal communication skills as a result.

“Being part of these spaces has exposed me to higher-level decision-making,” said Hale. “I particularly value opportunities to work with faculty; their creativity and commitment to their work consistently stand out and have shaped how I think about collaboration and leadership.”

Advocacy on Campus and Beyond

A point of pride for Hale is passing legislation this fall that formalized the College’s commitment to make free menstrual products available in women’s and all-gender bathrooms in the academic quad. Hale introduced the initiative and worked with staff members Laura Schaefer, Mark Crawbuck, and Maggie Hernandez to turn it into reality.

The campus community’s support encouraged Hale as she developed the initiative. This included student donations of menstrual products during the testing phase. Hale also appreciated having help from Pitzer’s Strive2Thrive, Student Affairs, and Facilities & Campus Services.

“The experience showed me that meaningful change is possible within an institution, but it requires sustained commitment, collaboration, and the ability to divide work into manageable steps,” said Hale.

The Student Senate has equipped Hale with experience in partnering with diverse people, advocating for change, and owning her voice. While she’s still exploring what that looks like after she graduates this spring, she knows that she wants to use her education in a “practical, people-centered way.” She is considering going into policy, finance, or institutional operations.

“I’m ultimately hoping to pursue a path that allows me to combine economic thinking with collaboration and impact,” said Hale.