Liz received a Master of Information from the University of Toronto in 2016, specializing in Information Systems & Design and Knowledge & Information Management. Liz completed the Cultural Management Co-operative Business Program during her undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo. In 2022, Liz earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
MORE ABOUT LIZ
Where do you work? Where are you from?
I live and work from a home office in Kitchener. I grew up in the country a few hours away.
What do you do at JCA?
I work closely with clients to optimize and align their people, processes, and information systems for fundraising and engagement. My job is to identify, communicate, and translate business needs into fully-implemented technical solutions. In this role, I often become a trusted advisor and confidant to my clients. We work together as partners in solving the unsolvable and making dreams come true.
What is your background? What brought you to JCA?
I was lucky to have stumbled upon nonprofit work very early in my career. I completed a Cultural Management business co-op program during my undergraduate studies which included six work placements in the field. This allowed me to test out different roles and see first-hand how they each contribute to the big picture. After graduation, I worked a couple full-time fundraising jobs before deciding to specialize in prospect research. From prospect research, I became more and more interested in information systems. I decided to go back to school part-time in 2012 to complete a Master of Information (MI) degree specializing in information systems design and information management. Like with my undergraduate studies, I found it beneficial to be able to apply my learnings on the job to gain a deeper appreciation of the material. I joined JCA after completing my MI so that I could use my research, analytical, and design skills on a daily basis to help organizations develop their fundraising systems.
What do you do outside of JCA?
I enjoy attending arts performances (especially opera), knitting, watching and playing (fantasy) baseball, gardening (albeit only for a few months per year), listening to podcasts, and cooking (soup is my ideal meal). I am also a proud lover of cats.
What is one of your favorite stories of/with a JCA client?
I enjoy working on Blackbaud CRM implementation projects because it gives me the opportunity to work with a client for a long period of time. My most recent project working with the University of Arizona Foundation has allowed me to form exceptionally close relationships with the project team. We are almost like family at this point. My favorite stories usually involve laughing to the point of tears (after all, finding levity is an essential CRM implementation survival skill!). When I went on-site for their go-live, quite a few of them honored me with the gift of Cheez-It crackers because they knew they were my favorite and until very recently, unavailable in Canada. That was a very touching and memorable moment.