January 4, 2023 | Cambridge, MA
The Cambridge Community Foundation announced Elizabeth Patton, a senior director from the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, has joined CCF as chief of staff to the president. The chief of staff will support the President to manage and successfully implement the strategic plan announced in October 2023, that aims to reduce economic disparities and strengthen community bonds to guarantee the future success of Cambridge. In addition to supporting the President, she will coordinate organizational priorities, strengthen workflows across Foundation teams, and serve as a liaison to the Board of Directors.
Elizabeth previously served as Senior Program Director for Research and Curriculum Development at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. She has spent the past five years leading a cross-functional team, collaborating across departments and institutions, and creating organizational systems to improve project implementation and strategic decision-making. She supported the creation and growth of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University and also co-founded the Initiative’s Racial Equity Working Group.
“The Foundation is taking on big problems with bold action in partnership with our community, and we’re so excited to add Elizabeth to our highly talented team as we strive to achieve ambitious goals for Cambridge,” said CCF President Geeta Pradhan. “Through her Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative experience, Elizabeth brings extensive expertise in building collaborations and organizational capacities. She is deeply committed to seeing meaningful impact in Cambridge and is mission- and results-driven.”
“I’m delighted to join the team at such an ambitious moment for the Cambridge Community Foundation and Cambridge,” said Elizabeth. “At the heart of the Foundation’s work ahead is collective action – with partners from all sectors of the city – and I look forward to helping cultivate those strong collaborations that will move the needle on increasing economic mobility for residents and bolstering social cohesion across our city.”
Elizabeth is a North Cambridge resident with a deep commitment to the city she and her family call home. She has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College.
