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Lucy Y. Steinitz

Board of Trustees

Lucy describes herself as a New Yorker by birth and personality who gained a foundational education, deep sense of self, and profound appreciation for Quaker values while attending Wilmington College (graduating in 1972). She went on to get a PhD in social work from the University of Chicago and spent the next 20 years in domestic social policy and non-profit management, most of the time as Executive Director of Jewish Family Services of Central Maryland. This job offered some opportunities for international learning and consultation (Israel, China, Poland, Zimbabwe and the Ukraine), until finally the travel bug got the better of her and she moved with her whole family to the newly-independent country of Namibia (Southern Africa) for one year – except that the one year became fourteen. In Namibia, Lucy cofounded Catholic Aids Action with a local nun and also the Church Alliance for Orphans. Following Namibia, Lucy and her husband spent three years working under USAID in Ethiopia until they finally returned to the USA in 2014. Lucy now works for Catholic Relief Services on issues of justice and peacebuilding. She has authored, co-authored or edited over fifty publications including two books and multiple training manuals for children and adults affected by conflict, illness and loss. In her spare time she volunteers for the USAP Community School (Quaker) in Zimbabwe, for various Washington, DC- area organizations, and for the international Alternatives to Violence Program. In addition, she enjoys “lazy-river kayaking” and long walks in nature.