Liza Cowan

As the program officer for the Community Revitalization Fund, Liza manages grantmaking for the $25 million initiative in support of affordable housing development in Orleans Parish.   Liza has been working on the Gulf Coast since she came to volunteer after Hurricane Katrina in late 2005.  As the hurricane recovery program consultant for AmeriCares, an international humanitarian aid foundation, she helped communities recover and rebuild through support of grassroots organizations and relief efforts.  She also managed the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.   Prior to moving to the region, Liza worked for Facing History and Ourselves, an international education organization, and served as an AmeriCorps member with the Vermont State Housing Authority.  Raised in Louisville, KY, Liza graduated from Dartmouth College and earned an Ed.M. in Adolescent Risk and Prevention from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  She serves on the board of directors of the Adirondack Council.