Elizabeth Berry Gips

Liz Berry Gips is the Executive Director of the Kigutu International Academy, a transformative secondary school that will produce a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders for Burundi. The Academy is being established by Village Health Works, where Liz also serves as the Chief Strategy Officer. Village Health Works operates in rural Kigutu, Burundi, working in partnership with the community to improve lives and livelihoods.  Liz has over two decades of experience in the education sector and is passionate about improving the quality of education for young people in Africa. She has served in leadership roles for a variety for organizations, including the African Leadership University, the Mastercard Foundation and USAID, where she served as the founding Coordinator for the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), President Obama’s legacy initiative to develop young leaders across Africa. Liz received a BA from Williams College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.