Liz Abzug

Liz runs a national public affairs, management consulting business, and is as an Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies at Barnard College/Columbia University where she has taught for ten years. At Barnard/Columbia Liz developed and continues to teach a case study course in women and leadership and a variety of courses in urban affairs. Liz also has been a candidate for elective office in New York City and served at various senior levels in federal, state and local government.

In 2003 Liz co-founded the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) and currently serves as its director. BALI is a leadership training organization for young women whose mandate is to "inspire women and girls to lead the future." The Institute provides specific skills training and professional mentoring for high school and college level girls and women to facilitate their development as strong and visionary leaders of tomorrow in corporate, governmental, civic and not-for-profit sectors.

Liz Abzug has been at the focal point in organizing and producing many cause-related media events, particularly in the areas of women's rights, civil rights and human rights. In 1995 Ms. Abzug was an Associate Producer for the television show "In the Life," a monthly magazine show devoted to gay and lesbian culture that currently airs on WNET Channel 13 and 90 affiliates across the United States. For that show, Liz produced and was the correspondent for the segment entitled "Gay Rights/Civil Rights," in which she interviewed prominent leaders of the civil rights and gay rights movements including Dr. Betty Shabazz (widow of Malcolm X), and Congressman Barney Frank, among others.

From 1992 through 1994, Ms. Abzug worked as a producer on two television projects that honored women as communicators and highlighted the role of women in building and utilizing the digital superhighways of the 21st Century. One project, a live television event entitled "A World Where Women Matter," integrated the themes of women, telecommunications and sustainable development and sought to honor women as communicators in new media. It also showcased women leaders in the domestic and international political arenas. For this project, Liz, together with Vicki Lynn, one of the producers of the original "Live Aid" satellite concert, secured diverse corporate sponsorship commitments as well as endorsements from UNIFEM (the Division of the United Nations dealing with women's issues and development worldwide), various regional Bell companies, and Vice President Al Gore, who strongly endorsed the concept of the show.

Ms. Abzug and Ms. Lynn also conceived, developed and a worked as co-producers for Warner Records Music Group in conjunction with HBO television, to develop "Voices from Beijing," an all-women pop, classical, rock and jazz concert featuring domestic and international recording artists. These artists were to perform at the globally-televised opening concert for the United Nations Fourth World Women's Conference held in Beijing China in September 1995.

Liz currently serves on the Advisory Board of a new national glossy magazine called KIWI. KIWI is targeted to families, parents and children of all ages and provides practical nutritional, health, fitness and "green" tips to living "the natural and organic way."

Ms. Abzug has served in various senior level positions in federal, state and local government. Under New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Liz was New York State's chief lobbyist in Washington DC for New York State's economic development agencies. Prior to that position she served as Vice President of Operations of the Empire State Development Corporation where she was responsible for programs that assisted small businesses, commercial and industrial companies in starting or expanding operations in the City and State's most economically distressed areas. Liz was also Deputy Commissioner of Operations of New York State's Human Rights Enforcement Agency. In addition to running the day to day operations of the agency, she was instrumental in leading a successful effort to amend the New York State Human Rights Law to ban discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS.

Abzug has served on the board of directors of various government, not for profit organizations and small corporations, including the New York State Commission on Domestic Violence, The Governor’s Gay Rights Task Force, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and KIWI a National Magazine covering organics for parents and children.

In November 2007 Abzug was named as one of the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s E- News.In October 2007 she was named “Women of the Year” by the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City.


Liz received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra Law School and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University.