Elizabeth Field

Elizabeth Field joined the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in February 2024 as its first Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Executive Director in the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Defense Capabilities and Management Team, where she led a broad body of work related to military quality-of-life issues, as well as defense management, business operations, and reform. A recognized expert on the Department of Defense, she has testified several times before Congress, and her work has been featured by various news outlets, including National Public Radio, CNN, and The New York Times. Before joining GAO in September 2017, Ms. Field served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. Ms. Field also previously served as Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Inspections at the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which was charged by Congress with conducting audits, inspections, and investigations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Afghanistan reconstruction effort and to detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse. Ms. Field’s first tenure with GAO lasted from 2002-2010, during which she worked primarily as a Senior Analyst in the International Affairs and Trade Team and conducted fieldwork in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. From 2000-2001, she served as a Jacob K. Javits Fellow on the Public Health Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ms. Field holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Davidson College, where she graduated cum laude. The proud daughter of an Army veteran, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her two sons, Graham and Henry (a West Point cadet), and their rescue dog, Maisie.