Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe is Executive Director of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation and American Institute for Conservation. Her extensive nonprofit leadership experience is primarily in service to the arts and culture sector focused on development, coalition building, membership service, advocacy, and communications and marketing. Lissa has worked extensively in messaging and promoting equitable access to the arts and humanities through local and national events. Past leadership roles include Executive Director of DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and Future of Music Coalition. Past Development Director roles include Pittsburgh Glass Center and MoMA PS1. Lissa was Programs Director of American Council for the Arts (now Americans for the Arts), where she led national Arts Advocacy Day during the “culture wars” of the 1990s.
In addition to her work advancing the arts and cultural heritage, Lissa has a long history of leadership with social justice organizations, including roles of National Program Director of PAX: Real Solutions to Gun Violence (now part of Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence), where she led national programs to support ending gun violence against children. She served as the National Corporate Sponsorship Officer and National Senior Team Director of MZA Events, where she honed her team-based strategies producing AIDS Walks and Dance-a-thons raising millions of dollars benefiting AIDS service organizations nationwide.
Storytelling and communications have played a major role in Lissa’s work. She had a public relations firm where she led marketing, program development, and fundraising to support the arts, food, cultural and community events in Pittsburgh and New York City. Her educational background includes degrees and advanced study in Art History, Fine Arts, and Museum Studies. Current board service includes the National Cherry Blossom Festival and Arts Lab of South County. Lissa spends most evenings listening to vinyl while working on sculptures in her studio on the Western Chesapeake. Personal interests include anything square, transparent, plastic, and pickled. She likes to wear black.