Liz Behrend

Liz Behrend (she/her) has over 15 years of experience as an arts administrator with cross cultural focus in roles spanning public programming, artist services, and philanthropy. As director of Alwan for the Arts, she ran a multidisciplinary presenting space for arts, humanities, and activist programming engaging with the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. As program officer at the Asian Cultural Council, she managed a portfolio of international artist fellowships and travel grants across 26 countries. As a musician, she has studied and performed in Balinese gamelan ensembles for over 25 years and was a member of the first foreign ensemble invited to perform on the main stage of Bali’s annual arts festival. She currently works as a strategy and fundraising consultant specializing in smaller nonprofits at pivotal moments of growth and transition. She holds a B.A. in English literature with high honors from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in Near Eastern studies from NYU.