Liz Vance builds systems that transform disruption into opportunity for young people. As IYF’s Director of Innovation, she leads a global innovation engine—spotting signals of change, designing bold solutions that attract both philanthropic and earned revenue, and cultivating the next generation of program and product designers to scale impact. 

For Liz, youth employment is the most powerful lever for change—one that rewires what’s possible for young people, their families, and their economies. She’s seen it across systems she’s worked in—from schools to supply chains, from ministries to markets: when young people work, everything works better. That’s why she sees workforce development as the hidden engine of economic complexity—a force that bends societies toward greater opportunity. 

Prior to joining IYF, Liz led initiatives across Latin America and the U.S. that strengthened institutions and scaled inclusive-growth efforts—from women’s entrepreneurship in Mexico to workforce reform in U.S. metros. She is known for navigating messy systems and forging unlikely partnerships that turn disruption into action. A published author, global forum presenter, and advisor on systems change and workforce development, she holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA from UC Berkeley, is fluent in Spanish, and can usually be found in the mountains with friends—because for her, the best days involve wrestling a wicked problem and finding an unlikely path forward together.