Liz Derias
Co-Executive Director
510.318.3745

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Psychology and African American Studies
Pennsylvania State University


About Liz
[Pronouns: she/ her/ hers

Liz Derias is one of three Co-Executive Directors at CompassPoint. In the context of shared leadership across our practice, the Co-Executive Director role takes on the highest level of accountability in ensuring that CompassPoint is values-driven, sustainable, and ultimately impactful in supporting leaders, organizations, and movements committed to social justice realize their full power. In her Co-Executive Director role, Liz holds critical leadership roles in our Sustainability and Growth circle, which focuses on field building, foundation strategy, fund development, and communications.  

Liz is committed to economic and racial justice for all communities. She has over 20 years of national and international social justice, youth and community organizing, popular education training, and policy and advocacy experience. She is an alum of the Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program of the Center for Third World Organizing.

Liz is an avid social justice writer and has been published on Feminist Wire and A-rab.net.  She is a narrator of a film produced by Freedom Archives on the history of international social justice movements.  She has served on the board of the Africana Institute of Penn State University, Cooperation Jackson, and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in San Francisco, and serves as an Advisory Committee member with the Center for Political Education.