Mary Ellen Childs (born April 13, 1957 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American composer and multimedia artist and founder of the ensemble Crash. She grew up as a dancer and writes music often influenced by dance rhythms. She currently administers the McKnight Artist Fellowships for Dance.

Her music is chiefly for small instrumental groups, especially for percussion, string groups or solo piano, and it usually has an essential theatrical or visual dimension. Her collaboration with accordionist Guy Klucevsek led to several works for that instrument. Her works have been widely performed by major ensembles, including a commission from the Kronos Quartet. Her 2007 recording of Dream House features the string quartet ETHEL. Reviews of her work have been published in newspapers nationwide, including The New York Times.

She is based in the twin city Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area.