Elizabeth Lower-Basch was the deputy executive director of policy at CLASP. In this role, she provided leadership, strategic guidance, and support for the organization’s policy and advocacy agenda.

Elizabeth was an expert on federal and state cash assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, and refundable tax credits, how they impact the lives of people with low incomes—including immigrants—and how they could be improved to increase racial equity and justice. Her expertise included both federal policy development and effective and cross-cutting implementation of federal policy.

Elizabeth’s professional accomplishments included maximizing state use of the TANF Emergency Fund during the Great Recession and helping launch and lead the Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing Our Future campaign, a multi-organizational campaign dedicated to protecting access to income and work supports programs for immigrants and their families. In February 2022, Elizabeth was selected to serve as a policy expert on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission. From 1996 to 2006, Ms. Lower-Basch worked for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, she was a lead policy analyst, supporting legislative and regulatory processes during the implementation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant and managing research projects.

Elizabeth received a bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.