Vice President, Healthy Communities with Sunflower Foundation
Topeka, Kansas
Elizabeth E. Burger, PhD, MBA is Vice President of Healthy Communities at Sunflower Foundation, a grantmaking health philanthropy that serves the entire state of Kansas. In her role, she leads foundation initiatives such as Sunflower Trails, which centers on equitable opportunities to be active outdoors and connect to nature; as well as efforts to enhance nutrition security and local food systems, including the integration of Food is Medicine into safety net systems. Elizabeth grew up in the great state of Oklahoma and began her career in broadcast journalism. She then transitioned to health, pursuing graduate degrees and a post-doctoral fellowship in exercise science, health promotion, nutrition, obesity, and business. She “tested” many careers before finding philanthropy: owned a personal training business, directed hospital wellness programs, taught at the university level, and directed research and evaluation at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Elizabeth lives with her husband and bulldogs in a log cabin on a wooded bluff (yes, Kansas does have trees and hills); they are working to create nature preserve with public trails on their rural property. Elizabeth is also a certified firefighter/EMT and volunteers for her rural fire district and multiple other community projects. She believes in the power of listening to all sides and appreciates any research pointing to the benefits of coffee, dark chocolate and all shades of wine.
