Elis Shin first joined Open House New York as a volunteer, inspired by its mission to help New Yorkers understand why the city looks and works the way it does.

As Deputy Director, Elis is responsible for developing impactful programs, strengthening operations, and meeting ambitious fundraising goals. Elis is also an Advisor at Open House Worldwide, where she draws on her experience as an Open House volunteer, staff member, and attendee since 2012 to advise more than 60 nonprofit organizations that produce Open House festivals around the world. She was the lead producer of the 2020, 2024, and 2025 editions of OHNY Weekend.

Elis has a decade of experience in cultural programming, design research, and working with nonprofits and studios in New York and around the world. Projects have included user research for a bakery co-designed with people with disabilities; industrial design principles to reduce plastic in a Fortune 500 company’s liquid soap bottles; technical improvements to a prototype designed to help college students develop healthy news habits; and an international festival on innovative housing models and design.

She holds an MS in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, where she received Departmental Honors for her capstone on chronoworking, and a BA in Metropolitan Studies with High Honors from New York University.