Lissy DeSantis

Lissy DeSantis, Senior Manager, Impact Initiatives, joined the Elevate Prize Foundation in early 2024, bringing over 15 years of experience in social impact events and programming. 

Most recently, Lissy spent nine years with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), serving as the CEO of CGI from 2019 - 2020. Lissy worked on all aspects of the social impact platform during her tenure at CGI. Most notably, she led the design and implementation of a new CGI program addressing disaster response and resilience in the Caribbean following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. In just two short years the Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery launched over 100 new projects promoting response, resilience, and recovery efforts in the Caribbean.  

Lissy is motivated by the opportunity to take great ideas and help shepherd them into life, and is thrilled to bring her skills and experience to The Elevate Prize Foundation as it inspires audiences across the globe to Make Good Famous.

Based in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, Lissy loves exploring new corners of the city, taking the subway to the beach, coaching little league, and tracking down the best ice cream trucks in Brooklyn.

As the Senior Community Manager at Elevate, Cara believes in the power of storytelling to bring about lasting change. In her 2+ years at Elevate, she has had the privilege of sharing stories that inspire action and building a continuously expanding, engaged community on social media.

For 10 years, Cara has been dedicated to social impact, sustainability, and equity marketing and communications. She began her career in nonprofits as an environmental educator and outreach manager, before concentrating her focus on digital content and communications.

Cara has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from SUNY Buffalo, and is an AmeriCorps SCA alumna. A chronic over-volunteer-er, Cara is on the Board of Trustees of her village and is the leader of a Girl Scout troop - yes, she can get you cookies.

In her spare time, she reads, hikes, and cries at Broadway shows - even the happy ones. She lives in New York with her daughter Celia, her dog Chamomile, and her (too) many houseplants.