Elizabeth A. Murphy is a recognized strategist, coach, community organizer, and facilitator with 30 years of experience working in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. Her practice specializes in strategic thought-partnership and coaching for executives, philanthropists, Boards of Directors, family foundations, and nonprofit organizations.  She is also highly experienced at designing large-scale community building initiatives and programs.  Murphy’s intuitive and creative approach helps individuals and teams to reach beyond the boundaries of their current conditioning.  She is skillful at designing and facilitating meetings that support a dialogic and emergent strategy—one that centers authenticity, expansive thinking, and guards against premature decision-making.  Murphy has provided consulting services for a wide range of missions including philanthropy, social and racial justice, the arts, disaster response, education, healthcare, environment and sustainability, and community organizing.

Select projects include: in 2011, Murphy founded the statewide community-building initiative Gathering Ground (launched by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation) working to advance a dialogue around critical issues, build and strengthen community networks, and foster equitable community-based solutions.  In 2021-22 for Gathering Ground, she led the development and launch of Elevating Equity, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded initiative created to train individuals how to identify and disrupt racism and oppression in NJ’s social sector.  Murphy also currently serves as a strategic advisor to the Stone Foundation of NJ; and the Renn-Sanchez Family Fund and co-developed their strategy & manages the grantmaking for their ThriveAC Fund.  In 2016, she launched the Disaster Philanthropy Playbook, a multi-year joint project of the Council of NJ Grantmakers (CNJG) and the Washington DC-based Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which was co-conceived, researched and written by Murphy. This one-of-a-kind national resource highlights key innovative strategies and lessons learned that philanthropies nationwide have developed in response to disaster preparedness and recovery.  In 2014/15, Murphy was a member of the founding team responsible for developing Pre-K Our Way, an initiative launched by Maher Foundation for which she designed and implemented a statewide stakeholder engagement program fostering support for pre-k expansion resulting in more than 7,000 supporters and 30+ partner organizations in the first year.

Other clients include: Duke Farms/ Doris Duke Foundation, Princeton University—Office of Alumni Affairs (Board retreats for 3 alumni Boards + 6 years of coaching/consulting for Association of Black Princeton Alumni Board of Directors), Community Foundation of South Jersey; NJ Center For Nonprofits; Leadership Rhode Island; Sustainable Jersey; Greater Newark Conservancy; American Planning Assoc./NJ Chapter; Health Clinic at Doylestown Hospital;  Two River Theatre; South Orange Performing Arts Center; Bucks County Playhouse; Count Basie Theatre; Arden Theatre; NJ Theatre Alliance; NJ Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster; and several projects with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Council of NJ Grantmakers.  

Prior to founding her consulting/coaching practice, Murphy rebuilt two organizations, and led two others through their greatest period of financial and programmatic growth.  She served as the executive director for the American Liver Foundation Mid-Atlantic Chapter, as Creative Producer for four professional theatre companies (3 nonprofits/1 commercial) and has raised more than $20 million for a variety of missions.  Much of Murphy’s career was spent working in the theatre. She has produced over 125 theatrical productions throughout New York City, New Jersey, Belfast, Dublin, London, Edinburgh, and Australia (primarily world premieres, but also as assistant producer for Broadway shows and US National Tours including the Tony Award winning Falsettos, Tommy Tune Production of Grease starring Rosie O’Donnell, and My Fair Lady).

Murphy currently serves as the founding Board Chair of An Taisce USA – Americans for the National Trust of Ireland; is a current founding Board member of the Atlantic City Community Fund; a former Board member of Passage Theatre; and was a member of NYC’s Regional Planning Authority’s Tri-State Committee on the Fourth Regional Plan.  Murphy has been an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson Univ., Univ. of Nevada/Las Vegas, and Hofstra Univ.  Born and raised in Queens, NYC, Murphy holds dual citizenship – Irish and American, and from 2008 to 2012 she lived and worked in Ireland. Murphy holds a BA degree from St. Mary’s College /University of Notre Dame, and successfully completed two executive education certificate programs: Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business—Executive Education Program for Nonprofit Leaders (focus on strategy and leadership), and Rutgers University Business School’s Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance.   An avid kayaker, Murphy’s goal is to paddle in all of the major bodies of water on the planet—she’s making a dent in that list.