Elizabeth is a broadly trained engineer and published scholar, with expertise in the principles of manufacturing, materials, and mechanical engineering, science policy, and scientific, strategic, and executive communications. After earning both a doctorate and master’s in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, Elizabeth held back-to-back appointments as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.  She later accepted successive faculty appointments at three colleges, including serving as a Founding Faculty member in Wake Forest University’s Department of Engineering and leading new program development at a liberal arts college in Minnesota.

Immediately prior to joining 5 Lakes Energy, Elizabeth was the staff writer for the American Physical Society, where she contributed to the society’s full range of scientific, executive, and strategic communications. She has also served on multiple advisory boards and as a state-level leader in the Society of Women Engineers. Throughout her academic and professional career, Elizabeth has cultivated a deep appreciation for design thinking and the principles of engineering design, while building curricula and courses themed around sustainability principles, human-centered design, materials and product life cycles, and 21st century engineering challenges.

For the better part of a decade, Elizabeth has been a resident of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, where she enjoys outdoor activities ranging from road cycling to backpacking to rock climbing.