Liz Varnhagen has great concern for protecting native ecosystems throughout the world and acknowledges their connection to Global Health. She performed environmental impact assessments in three different Federal Governmental agencies after getting her masters degree in Ecology from the University of California at Davis. She has a keen interest in Southeast Asia having served in the Peace Corps in East Malaysia and developing lifelong friendships with Indonesians in graduate school after she returned. She is a seasoned traveler, a philanthropist, and someone who wants to learn from others and give back. Her favorite recreational pastimes are with music as a cellist, walking, bicycling, hiking, and dabbling with calligraphy.