Liz Elting, the Founder and CEO of the Elizabeth Elting Foundation and one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in America as well as a noted advocate for women’s health and equality, has been named to the New York City Board of Directors of the American Heart Association. The appointment comes following a years-long relationship between Elting and the nonprofit, during which the nationally-recognized businesswoman has served as a prominent sponsor and Co-Chair of the AHA’s Go Red For Women campaign, which works to promote women’s cardiac health.
With a two-year term spanning through summer of 2021, Elting’s place on the board promises the AHA’s heightened emphasis on women’s heart health advocacy and education, a massive public health issue that has often been overlooked and underfunded. Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association has in recent years given much-needed increased attention to factors affecting women’s cardiac health, publishing its first guidelines to prevent strokes in women in 2014.
Elting, a 1992 graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business who grew a dorm-room startup into a global, multibillion-dollar enterprise, has been a tireless advocate and fundraiser for the AHA for over half a decade and was named a New York City Board of Director in recognition of that longstanding and unwavering commitment.
“Liz’s passion and dedication to the American Heart Association’s mission is a demonstration of her commitment to the financial, recruitment, and health strategy needs of our community,” said Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President of Cardiac Services at Mount Sinai Heart, and Chair of the American Heart Association’s New York City Board of Directors. “Our Board is steadfast in our mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, and Liz is a perfect addition to help further that goal.”
A global entrepreneur, four-times recognized as one Forbes’ “Richest Self-Made Women,” in 2018, Elting fully dedicated herself to her advocacy and philanthropic work through the creation of the Elizabeth Elting Foundation. The Foundation is committed to promoting women’s equality both inside and outside the workplace through education, public health, and policy advocacy.
“Women’s health is a subject near and dear to my heart,” said Elting. “The signs and symptoms of heart disease aren’t the same in women as in men, and far too often those symptoms aren’t known or talked about. Worse, even doctors can be unaware and prone to dismissing women’s health concerns. Through Go Red For Women, the AHA has been giving women the tools we need to take control of our own health and be our own best advocates. I’m honored to be a part of that effort.”
Elting has previously been recognized for her efforts and achievements by the National Organization of Women, Forbes, American Express, and Entrepreneur, among others.