Elizabeth Carter

Board Member

Elizabeth Carter is a strategic development leader and veteran proposal expert who has played a vital role in advancing the mission of Rise to Peace since its early days. She first joined the organization as Director of Development, where she led fundraising operations and shaped the foundation of its global counterterrorism and peacebuilding efforts. In this role, Elizabeth identified key sponsorship opportunities, assessed organizational needs, and authored successful grant proposals to fund educational and humanitarian programs both in the U.S. and internationally.

Her impact helped lay the groundwork for Rise to Peace’s growth, and she continues to guide its direction as a valued board member—bringing over 15 years of federal contracting, grant strategy, and operational leadership to the team.

Outside of Rise to Peace, Elizabeth serves as Proposal Manager at Sealaska Government Services, where she manages large-scale federal proposal operations. Her prior roles include senior positions at WSP USA, Historical Research Associates, SENTEL Corporation, and Trace Systems, where she led winning bids worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Her work consistently bridges mission-driven impact with business excellence.

Elizabeth’s career also includes the development of a global corporate social responsibility program and extensive experience in business transformation, team leadership, and strategic planning. Her ongoing commitment to humanitarian values and operational precision makes her an indispensable force behind Rise to Peace’s long-term success.

Richard McCrensky

Board Member

Richard McCresnky is a seasoned U.S. diplomat with over 35 years of service at the U.S. Department of State, bringing unmatched expertise in international relations, political analysis, energy security, and counterterrorism strategy. As a board member of Rise to Peace, Richard offers deep geopolitical insight and decades of frontline diplomatic experience to help guide the organization’s global peacebuilding mission.

Most recently, he served as Senior Advisor to the State Department’s Energy Bureau, where he authored key interagency intelligence reports on energy vulnerabilities across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including detailed analyses of ISIS’s oil monetization and distribution strategies. His work directly informed U.S. counterterrorism policies and was widely circulated among military and intelligence agencies, including CENTCOM.

Throughout his distinguished diplomatic career, Richard held pivotal roles in some of the world’s most complex conflict zones. As Chief of the Political/Economic Section at the U.S. Consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, he provided in-depth political assessments used by senior U.S. leaders—including Secretary John Kerry—and spearheaded the launch of Afghanistan’s first Junior Achievement program to support youth economic development. As Deputy Senior Syria Advisor, he authored reports on ISIS’s emergence and Syria’s energy networks that were used to shape U.S. and allied policy responses.

His assignments also include key diplomatic posts in Iran, Palau, Bosnia, Japan, and Libya, where he led trade negotiations, energy policy reporting, public diplomacy initiatives, and security cooperation programs. In Bosnia, he oversaw the implementation of the U.S.-sponsored Train and Equip Program and a multi-million-dollar humanitarian demining initiative.

Richard holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor’s degree in History from Trinity College. His strategic thinking, deep field experience, and commitment to global security make him an invaluable asset to Rise to Peace and its mission to counter violent extremism worldwide.