Liz brings a 30-year career in pursuit of social and economic justice to her role as the Executive Director of CFA, with leadership at the city, state and national levels. Liz was educated in NYC public schools and is a graduate of Brooklyn College. She lives with her wife and two dogs in Maplewood, NJ.

What attracted you to Community Food Advocates?

I worked for many years with CFA’s founders Kathy Goldman and Agnes Molnar at Community Food Resource Center (CFRC). I was excited by the idea of building on CFRC’s legacy and spirit by taking on challenging food policy issues with bold community-connected, cutting edge solutions.

Why does food justice matter to you?

Food justice is economic justice. Lack of access to quality, plentiful food and our inequitable food systems are rooted in economic disparities based on race, gender, and class. Food justice is finding concrete, broad reaching solutions to upend these inequities.

What achievement – professional or personal – are you most proud of?

I am most proud of two professional accomplishments: 1) securing universal free school meals in NYC in 2017 with our Lunch 4 Learning Coalition and 2) developing and leading the Welfare Made a Difference National Campaign in the late 1990s, which organized and engaged former and current welfare recipients in the national policy arena to challenge race-based stereotype-driven policy.

How do you apply a racial equity lens in your day-to-day work?

Racial and gender equity has always been the driving force of my advocacy work. It is fundamental to the impact of the policy issues I have dedicated my life to and informs CFA’s approach to our coalition building — including the commitment to ensure people most directly impacted by the policy issues we focus on are full partners in the policy making and advocacy process.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Staying grounded in your principles is critical but that alone is not enough - being strategic to achieve change is equally important.