Bio:
Liesel A. Pritzker is the Vice President and Director of Program Development for the IDP Foundation, Inc., a Chicago-based private foundation that is devoted to improving the quality of life for people and organizations in need. In addition to supporting several local Chicago charities, the IDP Foundation has facilitated a unique partnership with Opportunity International and Sinapi Aba Trust in Ghana to develop the IDP Rising Schools Program. The goal of the IDP Rising Schools program is to boost the development of existing, but very poor non-government schools through microfinance and capacity building services.
After working for an MFI in Tanzania, Liesel co-founded the Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO). YAO is a network of globally-minded young professionals who are dedicated to learning about how microfinance can contribute to sustainable solutions to poverty alleviation. Since its inception in 2008, YAO has grown to involve over 500 members in the US, Canada, and the UK. Under her leaderwship, the YAO network has actively studied and partially financed the capital requirement for a new MFI in Tanzania. Liesel attended Columbia University, where she studied African History.
