Elissa has more than 15 years experience working in senior positions and consulting to corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations.  Areas of specialty include corporate social responsibility in the U.S. and internationally, corporate community involvement, grantmaking, and stakeholder engagement.  Recent consulting projects include work for: Chiquita Brands International, Genentech, the EMPower Foundation, and the Russell Family Foundation.  

Elissa was a Vice President with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) where she led a $5 million initiative to develop and launch the Global Responsibility Resource Center (www.bsr.org).  She spent five years in Corporate Affairs at Levi Strauss & Co. where she worked on a variety of initiatives including the development of global sourcing guidelines, business decisions regarding entry into China and South Africa, as well as environmental and philanthropic programs.  She also served as Director of Planning and Development at the Community Action Commission in Santa Barbara County.  Elissa is a graduate of Brown University and has a M.A. in Organizational Development from City University.