Liz Nussbaumer
Senior Program Officer
Liz joined the Center for a Livable Future in 2019 as a Program Officer in the Seafood, Public Health, and Food Systems Project, following nearly seven years at Food & Water Watch in Washington, D.C., where she worked most recently as a senior researcher. Previously, Liz earned a Master of Public Policy, focusing on environmental policy and international development, at American University, where much of her research investigated the root causes and impact of industrial monoculture farming and livestock production. Her areas of research while at Food & Water Watch included ocean acidification and its effect on fisheries, as well as industrial poultry operations, cap and trade, water privatization, biogas and manure digesters, renewable energy, and more.
At the Center, Liz directs the Aquatic Food Systems & Public Health focus area, which explores the role of aquatic foods in transitioning the food system away from harmful industrial models of production. Together with her team, the focus area engages in research, public policy, practice, and education to highlight the importance of aquatic foods for public health, planetary health, and food systems.
Looking to the future, Liz hopes to combine her background in political science and public policy with her ongoing training in implementation science to better connect food systems evidence to practice. Liz began a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree program in implementation science at the Bloomberg School in the summer of 2024. She is also a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow in the Food Systems for Health focus area.
Outside of the office, Liz finds peace in gardening with native plants to restore and strengthen her part of the Maryland ecosystem. An adventurous traveler, she and her husband love to immerse themselves in local foods, ranging from chapulines in Mexico to blisteringly spicy papaya salad in Thailand.