Ellen Hart Peña (born May 19, 1958) is an American lawyer and former athlete.

Career

Peña competed in the 1980 U.S.

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Trials 10,000 meter run and the 1984

U.S. Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading i ...

marathon. Unfortunately, due to the boycott of the Moscow games by the United States, she did not get to compete at the Olympics in 1980. She won five world titles before the end of her professional athletic career. Peña earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1980 and earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Colorado Law School The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies in ...

. From 1990 to 1992, she served as Executive Director of the Community Action Program at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

, a service learning program. She worked as an attorney with the Denver firm of

Morrison & Foerster Morrison & Foerster LLP (also known as MoFo) is an American multinational law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 17 offices located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers who advise cli ...

from 1988 to 1990. A made-for-TV movie based on Peña's life was produced in 1996.Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story (1996) (TV)
/ref> Called ''Dying to be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Peña Story,'' Peña was portrayed by

Crystal Bernard Crystal Lynn Bernard (born September 30, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her roles as Helen Chappel-Hackett on the sitcom ''Wings'' (1990-1997), Amy on ''It's a Living'' (1985–1989), and K.C. Cunningham on ' ...

. The plot centers around her running career, relationship with her husband, and battle with anorexia and bulimia. Peña also served on the

President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition The President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition (PCSFN) is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sports". It is part of the ...

. Since recovering and going public with her struggle, Peña has given lectures and speeches on eating disorders focusing on her own personal experiences.

Personal life

In 1988, Peña married

Federico Peña Federico Fabian Peña (born March 15, 1947) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 12th United States secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997 and the 8th United States Secretary of Energy, United States secretary of energy ...

, a politician who served as the

Mayor of Denver This is a list of mayors of Denver, the capital and largest city of the state of Colorado. Mayors of Denver can serve three four-year terms.https://www.westword.com/news/denver-term-limit-mayor-colorado-voters-15109617 List References {{ ...

from 1983 to 1991 and the

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

from 1993 to 1997 in the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

. He also served as the

United States Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession, presidential line of succession. The po ...

from 1997 to 1998. The couple had three children together before divorcing in 2001.

References

External links

profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Ellen Hart 1958 births Living people 21st-century American women American female long-distance runners American women lawyers First ladies of Denver Harvard University alumni People associated with Morrison & Foerster Track and field athletes from Denver University of Colorado Law School alumni