After a national search, Urban Alliance is thrilled to welcome our new Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Lindsey.
Elizabeth is passionate about creating pathways to living-wage careers and building a more diverse and inclusive workforce. She brings nearly two decades of nonprofit and government experience in empowering individuals and communities to create positive change, most recently as CEO of the DC-based organization Byte Back. Under Elizabeth’s leadership, Byte Back expanded its inclusive tech training to Baltimore and built a national profile (see full bio below).
In recent years through new partnerships with the Obama Foundation, Per Scholas, Martha’s Table, and more, we have expanded our direct service work to reach students earlier in their high school experience, better prepare them for a digital future, and provide additional pathways to economic mobility. As we continue to scale this work, Elizabeth’s tech and partnership-building expertise will be invaluable. Her leadership and vision will propel UA into an exciting new chapter expanding access to critical work experience, training, and social capital to even more young people.
Elizabeth officially joins the UA team on April 12, taking the reins from Eshauna Smith, who led the organization for the past 7 years through both exciting growth and a national pandemic and will remain close as a member of the board of directors (read Eshauna’s farewell message).
Please join us in enthusiastically welcoming Elizabeth to the UA family!
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Lindsey, outgoing CEO of Byte Back, was one of The Root 100 most influential African Americans of 2019. Under Elizabeth’s nationally recognized leadership, Byte Back has thrived as a dynamic nonprofit with a pathway of inclusive tech training that leads to living-wage careers. In 2019, 57 graduates were hired, earning $23,463 more per year than before Byte Back training, and Elizabeth led Byte Back’s successful expansion into Baltimore.
Prior to joining the DC-based organization in 2015, Elizabeth was Chief Operating Officer of Groundswell, where she oversaw its evolution from a community nonprofit into a nationally recognized social enterprise. She earned her bachelor’s from Swarthmore College and her master’s in public affairs and urban and regional planning from Princeton University. Elizabeth led development efforts for minority- and women-owned businesses for the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, and she developed workforce training programs for the DC Department of Employment Services.
Elizabeth serves on the Federal Communications Commission’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment and is a member of the Washington, DC Mayor’s Innovation & Technology Inclusion Council and the Verizon Consumer Advisory Board. She is on the Board of Directors of the Goodwill Excel Center, The Engine Room, OATS, and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.
In addition to the The Root 100, the Washington Business Journal named her to its most competitive list – 40 Under 40. She was a three-time Washingtonian Tech Titan and was named a Champion of Digital Equality by the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. Elizabeth won a DC Inno 50 on Fire award and two DCA Live New Power Woman of DC Tech awards, and she was named a 2019 Enterprising Woman by Tagg Magazine and a 40 under 40 Queer Woman by the Washington Blade. She led a panel at SXSW in 2018, delivered a TEDx talk, and was named a top 100 leadership speaker in Inc.
Elizabeth is dedicated to helping thousands of people thrive in a digital society, to creating a pathway to living-wage careers, and to influencing a shift toward a diverse and inclusive tech sector.