About Elizabeth Myrick

Born and raised in northern Maine, Elizabeth Myrick has maintained her passion for rural communities and the Red Sox. Uniting her love of Maine and history, Elizabeth has crafted a consulting practice analogous to that of the traditional Maine Guide,  

Maine state law defines "Guide" as any person who receives any form of remuneration for his or her services in accompanying or assisting any person in the fields, forests or on the waters or ice within the jurisdiction of the State while hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, snowmobiling or camping at a primitive camping area.  The tradition of guiding has a deeper, richer definition.  They are the men and women who wear a guide patch with pride putting the law, safety, ethics, and conservation before all else.  It is their job to create safe and memorable experiences.  They are often colorful characters with a lifetime of adventures from which to weave their stories… They can navigate a rain-filled river then cook a meal over an open fire.  They work through the most stressful situations with confidence and nerves of steel.

While she may not wear a patch, Elizabeth does guide clients responsibly and responsively along varied pathways leading to their own goals and potential.  

Working in the philanthropic sector for 25 years, Elizabeth began her career as a Program Officer, then Program Director for the Maine Community Foundation.  As a grantmaker, Elizabeth worked closely with communities, nonprofits and donors to design and evaluate grantmaking and endowment building programs.  From 2000-2008, Elizabeth held senior positions with The Aspen Institute, first with the Community Strategies Group and later, as assistant director of the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program.  From 2002-2010, she directed the Community Giving Resource/SmartLink, a set of on-line tools and resources created especially for donors and foundation trustees giving locally, to low-income neighborhoods and communities.  

Since 2008, Elizabeth has worked as an independent consultant guiding nonprofit and foundation clients’ efforts to learn and implement policies and practices with lasting results. Her clients include family and private foundations, community and other public foundations and national associations of foundations. Elizabeth has identified topics, researched, written and presented extensively on philanthropy, foundation strategy and operations and community change efforts for community-based organizations, including the Peak Grantmaking, Council on Foundations, the Aspen Institute, and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. 

Elizabeth graduated magna cum laude, phi beta kappa with a double major in English and highest honors in political science. She earned a masters degree in political theory and jurisprudence from the University of Massachusetts, while serving as a teaching and research fellow.  

Elizabeth, her husband, their two children and their big yellow lab, Skippy, live just outside Washington, DC.