Elizabeth (Liz) Ngonzi, MMH (she/her)
Founder / CEO, The International Social Institute™ | Adjunct Assistant Professor, The Center for Global Affairs at New York University
About Elizabeth (Liz) Ngonzi, MMH (she/her)
Liz is an award-winning social entrepreneur and educator, and an international speaker and executive coach, who has the privilege of helping purpose-led institutions and individuals worldwide to accomplish the seemingly impossible - developing an ecosystem of aligned stakeholders to help them amplify their impact on the world.
Liz founded The International Social Impact Institute® in 2020 to help institutions and individuals access the resources, knowledge and networks that would enable them to clarify and share their story to build an ecosystem of like-minded stakeholders with whom they can collaborate to make the world more equitable and sustainable. Since its founding, The Institute has been fortunate to fulfill its mission through partnerships with organizations worldwide, such as Candid; CIVICUS; Cornell University; GivingTuesday; the JCC Association of North America; the King Baudouin Foundation United States; Nelson Mandela University; the Obama Foundation; and the USAID Power Africa Women in African Power initiative, among others.
Liz has been the turnaround CEO of Afrika Tikkun USA, the North America arm of a Nelson Mandela-endorsed and South Africa-based nonprofit organization; has been an invited member of the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State; has founded and run an international boutique consulting firm that advised academic institutions, associations, human rights and youth development organizations, and multilateral agencies; and has excelled in various corporate roles, including as a business consulting manager with a “Big 4” consulting firm.
She is a recipient of an NYU SPS 2021 Teaching Excellence Award; a 2019 cohort member of the “Most Influential People of African Descent” (MIPAD 100); a 2017 recipient of the African Diaspora Awards “Advocate of the Year” Award; was featured in 2016 by WeWork Creator Magazine as one of its “40 Over 40” leaders; and, since 2011, has been a member of the invitation-only President’s Council of Cornell Women.
Dedicated to educating others, Liz is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. She holds a Master of Management in Hospitality degree in Services Marketing from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration; a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from the Syracuse University iSchool; and graduated from the United Nations International School which she attended K-12.