# Elizabeth Roy

> Elizabeth Clay Roy is the CEO of Generation Citizen, a national nonprofit that partners with schools to teach 6th-12th graders Action Civics - hands-on, project-based democracy. A Columbia-trained urban studies graduate who campaigned door to door in Boston before she could vote, she has built a career across grassroots organizing, government, and economic-mobility work, from co-authoring an urban planning guidebook in Bangalore to co-creating the Opportunity Index and leading TakeRoot Justice in New York. She frames her work through 'critical patriotism' and insists young people are 'partners and problem-solvers, not citizens in waiting.'

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Generation Citizen
- **Organizations:** Generation Citizen, TakeRoot Justice, Phipps Neighborhoods / Phipps Community Development Corporation, Opportunity Nation, Office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Janaagraha (Bangalore, India), World Learning
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Urban Studies, Columbia College, Columbia University
- **Known for:** CEO of Generation Citizen, scaling Action Civics across U.S. schools, Co-created the Opportunity Index, a first-of-its-kind measure of economic opportunity at state and local levels, Co-authored 'Shaping Vibrant Cities', a guidebook on community-led urban planning

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Chosen by PBS's 'In the Mix' to lead youth coverage of the 2000 Presidential election
- **2002** — Graduates from Columbia College with a degree in Urban Studies
- **2000s** — Participatory planning work with Janaagraha in Bangalore; co-authors 'Shaping Vibrant Cities'
- **2007-2011** — Policy Advisor and Director of Grassroots Governance for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
- **2011** — Founding Deputy Director of Opportunity Nation; co-creates the Opportunity Index with Measure of America
- **2010s** — Chief Strategy Officer / Chief of Staff at Phipps; co-leads South Bronx Rising Together
- **2010s** — Executive Director of TakeRoot Justice in New York City
- **2021** — Becomes Chief Executive Officer of Generation Citizen (January 2021)
- **2022** — Named to the EBONY Power 100; receives the Black Voices for Black Justice Award
- **2023** — Receives the 1954 Charles Hamilton Houston Beacon Award

## Achievements

- CEO of Generation Citizen, scaling Action Civics across U.S. schools
- Co-created the Opportunity Index, a first-of-its-kind measure of economic opportunity at state and local levels
- Co-authored 'Shaping Vibrant Cities', a guidebook on community-led urban planning
- Founding Deputy Director of Opportunity Nation
- EBONY Power 100 (2022)
- Black Voices for Black Justice Award (2022)
- 1954 Charles Hamilton Houston Beacon Award (2023)

## Latest updates

- **2023** — Received the 1954 Charles Hamilton Houston Beacon Award recognizing real-world democracy education.
- **2022** — Named to the EBONY Power 100 and honored with the Black Voices for Black Justice Award.
- **2021** — Became CEO of Generation Citizen, leading a strategic plan that centers racial equity in civics education.

## Links

- Website: https://generationcitizen.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-clay-roy-b0bb263
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/generationcitizen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/elizabeth-roy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24