Joe Ellis

Josiah Wear Ellis was born on November 16, 1957. He is an American former football executive known for his role with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the team’s president and chief executive officer (CEO). Ellis is related to the Bush family through his mother, Nancy Walker Bush Ellis, making him the nephew of former U.S. president George H. W. Bush and a first cousin to former president George W. Bush.

Ellis completed his undergraduate education at Colorado College, earning a bachelor's degree in 1980. He furthered his education by attending the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he received a master's degree in 1988.

Ellis began his career in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, working as the director of marketing from 1983 to 1985. After completing his graduate studies, he served the league as vice president of club administration and stadium management. In 1998, he rejoined the Denver Broncos organization as the executive vice president of business operations, a position he held for ten years. In 2008, he was promoted to the role of chief operating officer, a position he maintained for three seasons until January 5, 2011.

Following the departure of Pat Bowlen, the previous owner and team president who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Ellis was promoted to the position of team president. He held this role until August 2022, when he stepped down after the Walton Penner group was approved as the new owners of the Denver Broncos.

In his personal life, Ellis resides in Colorado with his wife, Ann. They have three children: two sons, Si and Zander, and a daughter named Catherine.

Throughout his career, Ellis received several recognitions, including being a two-time Super Bowl champion as an executive with the Denver Broncos, winning Super Bowl XXXIII and Super Bowl 50. In 2017, he was named ColoradoBiz's CEO of the Year and was inducted into the Denver and Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame in the same year.