Elizabeth Young
Development Director
Topic Areas: Sustainable Agriculture, Nonprofit Management, Program Development, Fundraising
Elizabeth Young joined NCAT in 2023 and serves as the Development Director. With 20 years of experience in sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, program development, and fundraising, Young is passionate about creating pathways to build equity and local, sustainable solutions. Young fell in love with the sustainable agriculture field as horticulturist at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and then as an organic farm manager in North Carolina. Later as Arkansas Women’s Business Center Director, she guided entrepreneurs through every aspect of small business management to achieve financial success. As Director of Farm and Sustainable Initiatives for the Murphy Arts District, Young created a local farmers market, incorporated farm-to-table initiatives, planted roots for the school district farm-to-school program, and raised funs for the cultural arts center. During the pandemic she served Arkansas as the farm business consultant for Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center. Young has continuously educated others in various formats, including delivering a keynote at the Clinton Presidential Library Delta Caucus, lobbying in Small Business Congressional hearings for SBA funding, training and supervising 100 AmeriCorps members, farmer policy meetups with Senators, and leading programs for rural communities as well as for state and regional conferences.
Young holds a BS in Horticulture from the University of Arkansas. Her most rewarding volunteer experience was serving on the Southern SAWG Board for 8 years. She resides in South Arkansas and loves spending time outside with family.
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, University of Arkansas