BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Liz Smith

Co-Founder & CEO of EYElliance

An early entrepreneur, Liz started her own independent record label while still in college.  After several years working in the music industry, Liz shifted careers and has spent the last 10 years working in international development with a focus on inclusive business and access to global markets.  Liz’s personal interest in facilitating less developed countries’ full participation in global markets stems her time from living and working with young entrepreneurs in East Africa.

In 2008 Liz organized a conference supported by the Ford Foundation to help build capacity in the East African music industry with artists and key music industry players from Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.  This initiative lead to a long-term consulting role with the UN Office of South-South Cooperation forwarding the work of the Creative Economy for Development Agenda.  In 2011 Liz joined VisionSpring as Director of Business Development where she and Jordan began their initial exploration of the viability of a cross-sector collaboration to close the gap in access to eyeglasses on a global scale.

Liz graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, is a member of the Explorers Club, and is a two time National Geographic Society grant recipient for her work documenting endangered song.