Liz Roccoforte serves as the full time Director of Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Prior to her tenure as the Director of the LGBT Center at CWRU, Liz served as the Program Manager in CWRU’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Working under CWRU’s first Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Liz crafted and implemented a variety of programs and workshops from the ground up, including a large scale speaker’s series and numerous tailored
departmental workshops. Liz also played an instrumental role in the design of CWRU’s university-wide Diversity Strategic Action Plan.
Skilled in program development and an experienced facilitator, Liz has assisted in the establishment and ongoing implementation of a variety of LGBT Safe Zone programs and networks on several university campuses. Safe Zone programs provide university participants with tailored interactive workshops that assist in increasing participant knowledge about LGBT issues, testing their personal assumptions and in the learning of ally and advocacy skills. Liz has presented Safe Zone training to hundreds of participants in areas of university life as diverse as faculty, athletics and Greek life.
Liz is known for her ability to navigate higher educational environments regarding LGBT issues and communities and can assist in the development of tailored communication regarding the importance of LGBT initiatives on campus—especially within complex and sometimes oppositional environments. Most recently her work has focused on including critical policy and procedure changes for transgender
individuals on campus, including name change procedures, housing solutions and inclusive health care implementation.
Roccoforte grew up in San Diego, California and earned her B.A. with honors from the University of California, Irvine and a MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Cincinnati, where she also served as the LGBT campus coordinator. Liz is proud board member of the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland as well as a member of the Consortium of LGBT Higher Ed Professionals. She resides in Cleveland Heights with her partner.