Liz Joyner

Liz Joyner, a clinical social worker with training in family systems theory, conceptualized The Village Square—what former NEH Chair Jim Leach has since called “a model for the land”—after her experience volunteering in politics convinced her that the way we work out our disagreements in today’s public square is fundamentally flawed. Her organization received a Statewide Impact Award from Leadership Florida and was an inaugural Civvy Award nominee and Liz was profiled in USA Today’s “I am an American” series. A Washington, D.C. native, Liz has enjoyed a lifetime of learning the value respectful disagreement brings to people, problems and relationships—and to a nation that embraces its power—and is stubbornly bound and determined to keep vibrant differences of opinion openly and constructively engaged.