Liza McFadden serves as president of the Volunteer USA Foundation - a foundation aimed at strengthening families through volunteerism and community service.

Key areas of focus for the Volunteer USA Foundation include the management of the Florida Family Literacy Initiative, Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors™ and Disaster Preparedness/Recovery Fund. Other programs will be developed as based on needs in local communities.

Prior to her current position, Ms. McFadden served as president/CEO of Volunteer Florida Foundation. Under her leadership, Volunteer Florida Foundation was one of the leading funders in the state, last year alone granting over $20 million of funds to local community and faith-based groups to assist Floridians rebuild their homes and their lives in the wake of hurricanes Charley, Jeanne, Francis and Ivan, and another $5 million in literacy, mentoring, and volunteer programs.

During Ms. McFadden's four year tenure at the Foundation, several of the programs were recognized statewide and nationally, including the Teen Trendsetters Reading Mentors, which won the Harris Wofford Award for best youth program in the nation in 2004; and in 2005 Ms. McFadden was awarded the Governor's Award for the outstanding response of the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund in addressing unmet needs in Florida.

Ms. McFadden is a great believer in the ability to leverage private, public and individual generosity to creatively assist those in need. Donors to the Foundation were from all 50 states in the nation, and included such diverse groups as Goodwill, to provide vouchers for hurricane victims, to the Jimmy Buffet Foundation and the Women's Tennis Association who created huge events to capture the imagination of Floridians in how to help their neighbors.

An advocate for literacy, Ms. McFadden has served as the executive director for the Florida Family Literacy Initiative since its inception in 1999. Through the Initiative, one hundred and thirty-six family literacy programs have been funded in Florida since 1999. This innovative program is now sustained through state and federal funds, as program outcomes are impressive, including attendance rates twice the national average.

Ms. McFadden is committed to creating a culture where literacy is a key value. Her most ardent efforts are to sustain the natal family literacy programs begun, and to use technology, research and evaluation to strengthen these efforts and expand the opportunities for Florida families. Prior to serving as the president of Volunteer Florida Foundation, Ms. McFadden served in the Executive Office of the Governor and oversaw several key policy initiatives for Governor Jeb Bush. Ms. McFadden also previously served as the Vice President and General Manager of the Nixon Group, a full-scale public relations firm which she opened in Tallahassee, Florida. Ms. McFadden also worked for eight years in the Florida Department of Education and served in a number of positions including the Director of Adult and Community Education, the Director of the Office of Business and Education Alliances, and the president of the Florida Education Foundation.