Senior Adviser & Director of the President’s Office

Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves, senior adviser and director of the president's office, has been a member of the Sojourners staff since 2007. She is called to share God’s love with those around her through her gifts in administration, management, and spiritual discernment. Elizabeth has held several positions with Sojourners, including intern director, campaign director and deputy director for policy and outreach. She currently leads The Summit for Change: World Change through Faith and Justice, a leadership initiative of Sojourners.

Prior to coming to Sojourners, Elizabeth served as assistant policy director and conference director at the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, the leading organization for raising awareness and research funding of the disease. She has also worked at Drinker, Biddle, and Reath, LLP as a government relations associate and with International Justice Mission as a HR contractor.

Originally from the Sunshine State, Elizabeth graduated from the University of Florida where she produced the annual Women’s Leadership Conference. She is a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient and a professional clogging dancer. As an entertainer, she has performed in Costa Rica, Brazil, and across the southeast United States representing this folk dance tradition.

Elizabeth lives with her husband Scott and family in Washington, D.C., where they attend Washington Community Fellowship church, a multidenominational, evangelical congregation. She enjoys gardening, baking, and perusing local farmers markets.

Posts By This Author

What Did Sojourners Activists Do in 2010?

Half a million messages. That's how many our most engaged Sojourners activists sent on behalf of important justice issues in 2010.

Do We Need Truth and Civility Past Election Day? Yes We Do.

Well, we made it to Election Day -- time to pack up the ol' Truth and Civility campaign until the next election

Reel Images of Immigration: Additional Films

 

 

 

Voices from the Gulf: Victims of the BP Oil Spill Respond

The God’s Politics blog launched “Voices From the Gulf” — a series of blo

A Pledge to the Next Generation

We are witnessing a massive despoiling of God's creation that will impact ecosystems for generations. Our response must think that far ahead as well -- to our children and our children's children.

Gulf Oil Spill: Watching a Disaster Unfold with a Log in My Eye

Watching a disaster unfold on the news is always heartbreaking, but when it occurs in your hometown and you are far away, it can be debilitating.

Seeking Justice for Haiti's Oppressed, Orphans, and Widows

"Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:17

Paying Attention to Climate Change

Unlike the health-care debate, which touches each and every person in our country on the basic premise of their own, personal health, the issue of climate change can seem easy to dismiss as too scientific, too technical, or too boring for the average person to spend much time thinking about.

Honduran Coup Government Showing Sensitivity to U.S. Pressure -- More is Needed

While the United States remains focused on health-care reform and back-to-school activities, the impact of the Honduras coup in June continues, much out of the popular media.

Join Today's National Teleconference on Health-Care Reform with President Obama

Tonight Sojourners, along with 40 other faith groups, will host a national teleconference with President Obama about health care.

Clean Energy and Security Act: If Everyone's Unhappy, It Must Be a Good Compromise

I rode my bike to work today. Despite the summer heat, it is not a bad trip

Who Should Pay for Our Pollution?

Congress is hard at work on historic energy and climate change legislation. The House of Representatives plans to vote on a bill in the next few weeks, with the Senate to follow in early fall.

Doing the Best We Can in Hard Times - A Corporate Example

Scanning the headlines recently, the following caught my attention: "Walgreens giving free care to jobless and uninsured." I read the article to find the hidden catch, but to my delight, I found only a company trying to use its resources in a way that promotes the common good of society.

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SCHIP: Finally, a Victory for Children's Healthcare

The 111th Congress is turning out to be a bit more exciting than the 110th, with members tackling tough issues with a vigor that was in short supply in 2008.

Policy and Organizing: A Year in Review

It was quite a busy year for the policy team at Sojourners, and we can already hear the challenges and opportunities of 2009 calling for our attention.

Still Hungry

This weekend I found myself irritable, tired, and hungry. Not hungry for food, but with an ache in my spirit. A burdensome kind of discontent not easily soothed by quick fixes.

'Meaner Streets' in D.C.

Even though we don't often weigh in on local D.C. political issues, the Sojourners policy team made an exception on a new piece of legislation that would have a direct impact on gun violence in the District. We signed Sojourners on to a faith-group letter last week opposing the bill described in this [...]

Vote Out Poverty

From election rhetoric to real change.

Burger King Agrees to Raise Wages for Tomato Workers

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced Friday that after a prolonged and often heated campaign, Burger King has agreed to award tomato pickers 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes picked, the equivalent of a 71 percent increase in wages.

The decision was announced on Capitol Hill last Friday. Watch the press conference: