Biography

Liz Fanning is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CorpsAfrica, a pioneering nonprofit that empowers emerging African leaders to serve in high-impact, community-led development roles across their own countries.

Inspired by her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco (1993–95), she launched CorpsAfrica in 2011 to adapt the Peace Corps model for the African context—Africans for Africa, prioritizing local leadership, human-centered design, and measurable outcomes. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded across 12 countries, forged strong partnerships with governments and philanthropies, and trained cohorts of Volunteers to catalyze sustainable projects in health, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience.

Before founding CorpsAfrica, Liz held leadership roles at mission-driven organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Schoolhouse Supplies, and the Near East Foundation, and served on numerous Boards of Directors. Her cross-sector perspective is rooted in civil liberties advocacy, access to education, and community development, coupled with a track record of building durable institutions and coalitions.

Her leadership and service have been widely recognized: she received the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service (2019), was named an AARP Purpose Prize Fellow (2021), and received the JFK Service Award from the Peace Corps (2022).

Liz holds a BA in Economics and History from Boston University and a Master of Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.