Liz OgbuCredit: Ryan Lash

Liz frequently lectures and runs workshops in the U.S. and abroad on topics such as racial and spatial justice, equitable development, sustainability, empathy and human-centered design, placekeeping and placemaking, and power and privilege.

Select past venues have included the TED Women, Social Entrepreneurship World Forum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Black in Design, and the Aspen Ideas Festival. She has also been featured on radio broadcasts and podcasts including NPR’s Ted Radio Hour, KQED Forum, and Women in Sustainability. She also frequently speaks at several colleges and universities. Previous engagements have included Columbia University, California College of the Arts, UC Berkeley, Maryland Institute College of Arts, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan.

For speaking inquiries, please contact the Vanessa at the FRESH Speakers Bureau at  vanessa@freshspeakers.com.

Upcoming Events, Lectures and Workshops

California College of the Arts (CCA)
San Francisco, CA | February 2, 2023

University of Virginia – School of Architecture: Climate Transformations
Charlottesville, VA | March 27 & 28, 2023

Main Street America
Boston, MA | March 29, 2023

Cowell Foundation: Annual Retreat
Santa Cruz, CA | June 1 & 2, 2023

Select Previous Engagements

City of Akron: Innerbelt History Collection
Online | February 22, 2023

Association for Community Design: Intersections of Justice
Online | September 23, 2021

Canada Urban Institute: Art of City Building
Online | September 20, 2021

Center for Urban Pedagogy: How can we practice the future of community-engaged design now?
Online | June 23, 2021

Portland Park Foundation: Green Dreams
Online | March 17, 2021

NC State University College of Design
Online | February 11, 2021

Minneapolis College of Art and Design: Race and Design
Online | November 11, 2020

Knight Foundation: Public Spaces Forum
Online | October 21, 2020

TED | Countdown: To a Better Future
Online | October 10, 2020

Pulitzer Center: A Deeper Look into Solitary Confinement and Mass Incarceration
Online | October 7, 2020

The University of Texas at Austin
Online | October 7, 2020

Center For Urban Pedagogy: What is community-engaged design during – and after – COVID?
Online | July 22, 2020

Harvard: Design for the Just City
Boston, MA | April 11-12, 2019

KQED: City of the Future
San Francisco, CA | February 2, 2019

Aspen Ideas Festival
Aspen, CO | June 21-23, 2018

Brainstorm Design 2018
Singapore | March 5-7, 2018

TEDWomen 2017
New Orleans, LA | November 1-3, 2017

Australian Institute of Architects
Sydney, Australia | August 18, 2016

Black In Design
Cambridge. MA | October 9-10, 2015