Elizabeth Styffe, MN RN PHN
Director HIV/AIDS, Orphan Care & Rwanda Initiatives, Saddleback Church

Elizabeth Styffe, director of Saddleback Church’s HIV/AIDS, Orphan Care, and Rwanda Initiatives, pioneered the HIV/AIDS initiative with Kay Warren in 2003, and leads efforts both locally and globally. Beginning with a passion for mobilizing the church to care, a movement has begun which empowers every person to act on behalf of those who are HIV positive around the world. Elizabeth has been instrumental in developing a network of churches through the annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church, World AIDS Day Youth Summit and the web-based Purpose Driven HIV Caring Community.

Elizabeth leads the team that is equipping and launching the 100,000 people who attend Saddleback Church as well as churches across the globe to engage in the greatest healthcare crisis of all time. Elizabeth and Kay have directed the development of a network of churches in the web-based Purpose Driven HIV Caring Community, as well as the annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church and World AIDS Day Youth Summit. She is responsible for the mobilization of volunteers to care and support those who are HIV positive locally and globally.

Elizabeth is a leader, advocate and educator who believes that personal worldview influences patient care. She challenges government leaders, and those in both the public and private sector to consider local church-based strategies as critical to the challenges of global health.

Receiving first hand knowledge in Africa, Thailand, Cambodia and Russia, Elizabeth works from her experience and education as a Registered Nurse, Administrator and Clinical Specialist to inspire and equip local churches to care and act. She has led nurse-teams to Africa and teaches others how to engage non-healthcare professionals in care delivery.

In recent years, Elizabeth has spoken at events such as the Global Summit on AIDS and the Church, World Vision’s Acting on AIDS student leadership conference, Christian Connections for International Health Conference, the Global Connections Learning Community at Willow Creek, the Adoption and Orphan Care Summit. She was an invited participant in the 2008 White House Roundtable on HIV/AIDS and also at the 2008 White House Roundtable on Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Elizabeth recently joined Rick and Kay Warren in giving testimony related to PEPFAR Reauthorization to a congress planning committee. She is active in the leadership arena of orphan care, HIV and the church.Known as expert in HIV care, she cared for her first patient with HIV in 1983, including the first pediatric patient in Orange County to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. She specializes in the clinical areas of grief, loss, chronic illness, and computer technologies in patient care. She has managed projects involving over 400 health professionals with budgets totally 44 million. Having earned a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Biola University and a Masters in Nursing Administration from UCLA, she has been a member of the nursing faculties of Cal State Fullerton, Azusa, and Biola Universities. She has authored articles in Nursing Administration Quarterly and Maternal Child Nursing and was contributing author to the book, Quality Assurance.

Styffe and her husband, Glenn, have been married for 25 years and have seven children ages 5-21, including 3 which they adopted from Rwanda.