Kay Ellis is Associate Director, Export Controls Officer in the Office of Sponsored Projects at The University of Texas at Austin. She received a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior from Southern Nazarene University and a Master in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. Ms. Ellis was with the University of Oklahoma for ten years prior to joining Oklahoma State University in 2002. As Director of University Research Programs, she implemented an export control compliance program and was the university's empowered official. In March of 2008, she became the Export Controls Officer for UT Austin and is the point of contact for export control issues. She provides training in this area and oversees the procedures put in place to ensure the University's compliance with federal export control regulations.

Ms. Ellis is currently Chair of NCURA Region V (Southwestern). She has given presentations on export controls at NCURA regional and national meetings and for other professional organizations.