Elisabeth Hughes MacDonald

Elisabeth joins the Mimi Washington Starrett Foundation Board with extensive leadership experience in the business sector and nonprofit governance, largely in New Jersey and surrounding areas. Elisabeth received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business from Lafayette College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University.

Elisabeth has enjoyed a long career in the banking industry. For more than twenty years she worked for J.P. Morgan Chase and predecessor organizations in New York City. Her roles included serving as chief administrative officer and advisor to a J.P. Morgan Vice Chairman; managing corporate client relationships and heading a team of debt capital markets professionals, where she focused on acquisition and leveraged financing. Following her time with J.P. Morgan Chase, Elisabeth worked for Citizens Financial Group in a senior business development role. Currently, she is the Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE), a trade association that advocates for the safe and secure growth of small business. Elisabeth has been with SBFE since 2019. Elisabeth was heavily involved in the formation of Impact 100 Garden State almost ten years ago.

Elisabeth brings great energy and experience focusing on ensuring a fair and transparent grant process with Impact 100 Garden State to the Mimi Washington Starrett Foundation. In addition to Impact 100 Garden State, Elisabeth has served in leadership roles on numerous nonprofit boards including Lafayette College and Homeless Solutions, Inc. Elisabeth has two sons and divides her time between Cleveland, OH and Mendham, NJ.