Elizabeth Burton Ortiz

Executive Director

Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council

Elizabeth Burton Ortiz has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, a Master of Arts in Political Science, and a Juris Doctor. After graduating from law school, Ms. Ortiz clerked at the Arizona Court of Appeals. Ms. Ortiz then joined the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in Phoenix, Arizona, where she prosecuted cases for sixteen years. During that time, Ms. Ortiz served as a Bureau Chief in Juvenile, Pretrial, Charging, and Appeals. In 2009, Ms. Ortiz joined the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council (APAAC) as the Senior Staff Attorney and was subsequently named Executive Director. In addition to her APAAC duties, Ms. Ortiz is co-chair of the Arizona Governor’s Commission to Prevent Intimate Partner and Gender-Based Violence and chair of the State Bar of Arizona Public Lawyers Executive Council. She serves as a board member for the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators, the National District Attorney’s Association, the Arizona Forensic Science Academy, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Commission of Victims in Court, the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar of Arizona Criminal Justice Executive Council, and the State Bar of Arizona Professionalism Advisory Council. Further, Ms. Ortiz is co-chair of the National District Attorney’s Association Training & Education Committee, and chair of the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators Training Committee. Ms. Ortiz teaches extensively throughout Arizona, the United States, and in Mexico on a wide variety of trial advocacy and ethics topics for organizations including the American Bar Association, the Office of the New York Attorney General, the Alliance Partnership Program, the National Crime Victims Law Institute Conference, and for prosecutor conferences in Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Additionally, she serves as a facilitator across the country for the Lessons From the Holocaust: What You Do Matters course. In 2022, Ms. Ortiz was recognized by the State Bar of Arizona with the Michael Cudahy Criminal Justice Award.