Elizabeth Edwards
A passionate advocate for children and an accomplished attorney, Elizabeth Edwards has been a tireless worker on behalf of important social causes. Currently, she works on healthcare issues with the Center for American Progress as a Senior Fellow and contributes to the Wonk Room, the Center for American Progress Action Fund's newly-launched, first-of-its-kind policy rapid-response blog. "Elizabeth is a woman of extraordinary talent, knowledge, and grace,” said John Podesta, President of CAP and CAPAF. “She has proven herself to be one of the most effective, tenacious, and caring spokespeople for progressive policies in the country.”
The daughter of a decorated Navy pilot, Edwards spent her early years attending school in Japan, where her father was stationed with a reconnaissance squadron, flying missions over China and North Korea. She holds a bachelors in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctorate from UNC Law School. Following law school, Edwards clerked with U.S. District Court Judge Calvitt Clarke, Jr. in Norfolk, Virginia and in the early 1980s, worked for the North Carolina Attorney General's office where she did work for the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. From 1984 to 1996, she worked at the Raleigh law firm Merriman, Nicholls, and Crampton, as well as teaching legal writing as an adjunct instructor at UNC Law School for two years. From 1996-97, she was a member of the first group of Public Fellows at the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC.
Edwards is committed to serving the community and expanding educational opportunities for all children, having volunteered with PTA at her children's schools, and being active in their youth soccer leagues. Additionally, she volunteered at Goodwill Industries. In 1992, Edwards co-established the Vincent J. Anania Lacrosse Scholarship in honor of her father, a former lacrosse player and Assistant Coach at UNC-Chapel Hill. After her first child, Wade, died in 1996, she helped to establish the Wade Edwards Foundation and the Wade Edwards Learning Lab, a computer center for youngsters in Raleigh. Recently, the foundation opened a similar computer lab in Goldsboro. The Wade Edwards Foundation also runs a statewide short fiction contest for North Carolina's high school juniors, awarding $10,000 a year in scholarships and grants to high school English programs.
In addition to her many accomplishments, Edwards has inspired countless women through her willingness to publicly share her battle with breast cancer through her New York Times bestselling memoir, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers, a memoir of her trials, tragedies, and triumphs, and of how various communities celebrated her joys and lent her steady strength and quiet hope in darker times. Her most recent book, Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities, was published by Broadway Books on May 12, 2009 and was a number 1 New York Times bestseller.
In addition to Wade, Edwards is the proud mother of Catharine, Emma Claire, and Jack. Despite the demands of raising two young children, she still finds time to participate in community service and remains active in the Wade Edwards Foundation. She is also involved in a variety of charitable efforts, including fundraising for the March of Dimes benefit and serves on several boards such as Books for Kids.
