Liz Cheney is Director of Philanthropy at Southwest Initiative Foundation, overseeing the organization's philanthropic asset development, including planned giving, general endowment fundraising and the restricted giving program. She serves on the executive leadership team, managing strategic direction of the organization’s mission to connect people, invest in ideas and build communities - so that all people in southwest Minnesota can thrive. She has 15 years of experience working with ordinary people who want to make an extraordinary difference through their philanthropy, and she was promoted to her current role in 2015. She also holds the international Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification.