Florizelle Liser

Florizelle (Florie) Liser is the third President and CEO of CCA. Ms. Liser  brings expertise and an extensive network on trade and Africa to her  new role, along with a strong track record of working with the private sector to translate policy into action. She is the first woman to lead  the Council since its founding in 1993. 

Ms. Liser joined CCA from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative  (USTR), where she was the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for  Africa since 2003. At USTR, she led trade and investment policy  towards 49 sub-Saharan African nations and oversaw implementation  of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 

Previously, Ms. Liser served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for  Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications from 2000-2003.  She also served as Senior Trade Policy Advisor in the Office of  International Transportation and Trade at the Department of  Transportation from 1987-2000; worked as a Director in USTR’s Office  of GATT Affairs and served as an Associate Fellow at the Overseas  Development Council (ODC) from 1975-1980. 

Currently, Ms. Liser serves as a re-appointed member of the 2022-2023  Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee for the Export-Import Bank  (EXIM) where she previously served from 2019-2021. Ms. Liser also  served as co-chair of the Advisory Council for the Millennium  Challenge Corporation and has also served as a Board member for the  Women in International Trade (WIIT). Ms. Liser holds a M.A. in  International Economics from Johns Hopkins University, School of  Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a B.A. in International  Relations and Political Science from Dickinson College.