McElhatton specializes in real estate development issues, particularly affordable housing projects, and was involved in high-profile projects like downtown Minneapolis's Block E and Graves 601 Hotel. Meanwhile, the Harvard Law School graduate dedicated countless hours to the Boy Scouts High Adventure Program leading scouts on trips to destinations including Glacier National Park, Isle Royal National Park and the Florida Keys. In 2014, he resigned his shareholdership in a national law firm and has spent the past two years in the Peace Corps serving the people of Naryn, Kyrgyzstan.