Liz Feld

President of Autism Speaks, Autism Speaks

About This Expert

Liz Feld was named president of Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, in June 2012. Liz brings decades of experience in management, strategic communications, and policy expertise in both the public and private sectors. Under her leadership, Autism Speaks has achieved critical milestones in increasing the quality of services, research funding, awareness, and advocacy for autism, most notably, the passage of the ABLE and AutismCARES Acts, and the development of MSSNG, a $50 million whole genome sequencing project with Google.

Since its inception, Autism Speaks has raised and invested more than $525 million in its mission, the majority in scientific research. During Liz’s tenure, Autism Speaks has raised nearly $140 million for the autism community.

From 2006-2012, Liz served as mayor of the Village of Larchmont in New York’s Hudson Valley. As mayor, she garnered more than $4 million in state, federal, and local grants to support community projects and earned the Village its first AAA credit rating from Moody’s Investor Services. During her time in office, Liz became a member of Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns. She is an award-winning environmentalist and has received acclaim from the New York League of Conservation Voters.

Liz has worked as the director of news information at ABC News and senior vice president of communications for Nickelodeon. She has appeared on national and local television networks and authored editorial pieces on public policy issues and politics. Liz also served in the Reagan White House; first as a public affairs specialist at the Office of Management and Budget, and then as a press officer for then Vice President George H. W. Bush. She holds a B.A. degree in Government and Political Theory from Georgetown University. She and her husband are the parents of three children.