Liz Owens

YWCA Utah

Liz is a womanist, feminist, multi-racial, multi-cultural woman of color from Utah. She serves as a community educator, gender justice and racial justice activist. Her multi-issue work is firmly rooted within a human rights and social justice framework with a focus on the intersections of power and privilege.

has experience working with women on issues that disproportionately impact women and with historically underrepresented individuals and communities including: women of color, transgender folks and their loved ones; refugees and immigrants, queer youth; and women involved in the criminal justice system, gangs and/or drugs, drug trafficking, sex-work and prostitution, and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, among many others. She currently serves as CEO of YWCA Utah where she leads the organization in meeting their mission of "eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all."

has a BS degree in Sociology from Utah Valley University and an MA degree in Human Rights from the University of Essex in the UK.  has taught sociology and other courses including Race, Gender, Social Inequalities and Social Problems at Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College. She has also taught Program Planning and Evaluation in the Master of Arts in Community Leadership at Westminster College.  previously worked at Women in Prison (London, UK), the Utah Pride Center, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault; and has served on many boards and in volunteer positions in the community.  grew up in Provo, Utah and has walked the last 100 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.  and her partner Brad are the proud and devoted parents to a little human named Fox and pet-parents to two doggies, Flynn & Fia.