As a veteran of the Baltimore business community, and daughter of Dr. James West, she collaborated with Ian McLane to found Sonavi Labs and bring its inaugural product line to market. She completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science and Psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. In 2009, Ellington led market research at Observation Baltimore, and later served as both a researcher and moderator. From Observation Baltimore, Ellington went on to serve as the North-East Director of Sales for a national healthcare organization and was responsible for the revenue and business of over 30 practices.