Elisabeth Buck is Chief Community Impact Officer for United Way of Central Iowa. She joined United Way of Central Iowa as the Senior Vice President of Community Impact in January, 2024. Prior to joining United Way, she served as Iowa Governors Tom Vilsack and Chet Culver’s Deputy Chief of Staff from 1999-2007 until her appointment as Governor Culver’s Director of Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) in 2024. During her time in this position, Elisabeth transformed IWD into a client-centered environment and integrated the Workforce Centers with partners to provide seamless employment services and up-skilling activities for Iowans.

At United Way of Central Iowa, Elisabeth’s work focuses on advancing United Way’s mission of improving lives by leading community mobilization and United Way resources for attainment of the Goals for 2024 in Education, Income and Health. Elisabeth oversees a multi-million dollar budget and ensures donors’ contributions are invested in a manner that measurably improve community conditions by advancing progress toward Goals for 2024. Elisabeth earned a BA in political science from Iowa State University where she served as student body president. In addition to this early vote of confidence in her leadership, Elisabeth went on to be named Leader of the Year in Iowa State Government in 2024, Volunteer of the Year in 2024, and received the AFSCME Leadership Award in 2024 and a Women of Influence in 2024.

Elisabeth and her husband, Tim, have two children.