Liz has three decades of experience in education and leadership development. She has served as a leader, entrepreneur and strategist for a variety for organizations in the non-profit, academic and public sectors. Currently, Liz is a Venture Partner at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, where she helps to source new investments and to support the leadership of portfolio organizations in Africa and beyond.
Prior, Liz served as the founding Executive Director of the Kigutu International Academy (KIA), an innovative secondary school developing a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders in Burundi. Liz led the planning, launch and initial operations of KIA, which is part of Village Health Works, a Burundi-based non-profit where Liz also served as Chief Strategy Officer.
Earlier, Liz worked with the Mastercard Foundation, assisting with the development of their education strategy for Africa and with the design and implementation of a major education initiative in Rwanda. In addition, Liz worked for USAID, where she was the founding Coordinator of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a legacy initiative of the Obama administration. She was also a Senior Education Advisor to USAID in South Africa.
Liz received a BA degree from Williams College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.