Liz Abzug
Liz Abzug, the founder and executive
director of the Bella Abzug
Leadership Institute, has led a
distinguished career as a national public
affairs and strategic consultant, professor,
lawyer, and former political candidate. She
is the daughter of the late Congressmember
Bella Abzug, who worked with Ed Koch in
1974 to propose the earliest version of the
Equality Act.
Liz’s work has spanned across many fields,
including politics, economics and urban
development, and human rights. In 1995,
she formed her own national public affairs
and management-consulting firm to provide
services in the areas of strategic and business
planning, public affairs, management
and political and health care consulting,
marketing, public relations, and lobbying.
Liz has served in a number of senior level
positions in government. Under former
Governor Mario Cuomo, Liz was New York
State’s chief
lobbyist in
Washington
for the state’s
e c o n o m i c
development
a g e n c i e s .
Prior to that,
she served as
the vice president
of operations of
the Empire State
Development Corporation
and was deputy commissioner of
operations for the state’s Division of
Human Rights. She helped lead the
successful effort to amend the state’s
Human Rights law to ban discrimination
against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Liz has been involved in numerous other
not-for-profit organizations and served on
small corporate boards, such as the New York
State Commission
on Domestic
Violence, the
Governor’s Gay
Rights Task
Force, and the
Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council.
Liz serves as a
senior adjunct professor
of Urban Studies and
Women and Leadership
at Barnard College/
Columbia University,
where she teaches
classes pertaining to
cities, urban economic
development, and
women’s leadership.
Bella Abzug
Leadership
Institute
She is also a public speaker
at colleges, universities, conferences, and
conventions throughout the United States.
Troy Blackwell
Troy Blackwell is a public relations
leader, Afro-Latinx voting rights
activist, and LGBTQ advocate who
founded Ready for Change, a political action
committee dedicated to getting out the vote
across New York State.
Troy was recently a candidate in New
York City Council’s District 15, where he
campaigned to raise the market value of a
New York City rental assistance program and
advocated to increase funds for the state’s End
the Epidemic initiative.
A graduate of the City College of New York,
Troy has served in numerous capacities across
the political landscape. He led press logistics
for the Tom Steyer presidential campaign and
went on to work in a similar role for then-vice
presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead
of the 2020 election. He worked
to get out the queer vote by
hosting “Out for Biden” events
featuring guests such as actor
Wilson Cruz and Pennsylvania
State Representative Malcolm
Kenyatta.
Previously, Troy interned at the
White House under President Barack
Obama, serving in the Office of Public
Engagement and working on LGBTQ policy.
Troy also completed a research fellowship
through Stanford University aimed at
developing economic and legal solutions in
response to the financial crisis in Puerto Rico.
In September, Troy joined the board of
directors for the Big Apple Performing Arts
and New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.
Ready
for
Change
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