About Eliza
Eliza brings over twenty five years of experience in education research and development and nonprofit leadership. She was senior project director at Education Development Center (EDC), education director at the Center for Media and Learning, City University of New York (CUNY), and senior advisor at Advance CTE. She partners with leaders, practitioners, policymakers, scholars, funders, and community advocates to improve nonprofit organizations, K12 schools, postsecondary institutions, and state education agencies. As a consultant, Eliza is passionate about empowering education and nonprofit partners in building better organizations to achieve educational equity, racial justice, and social change.
Eliza integrates her background in meditation, breath work, and mindfulness approaches to her consulting work by cultivating active listening, mindful communication, and reflection. She also provides services for clients to foster mindfulness, organizational wellbeing and culture change.
Eliza holds a Master of Arts in cultural anthropology and education from Columbia University, and received her bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York.
Values
Quality involves thoroughness, timeliness, accuracy, alignment between big picture and details, and responsiveness to the needs of constituents. While I bring my own content knowledge in a range of fields and education areas, I research best practices and seek input and feedback from partners to ensure quality services and deliverables.
Equity is at the center of my work. I believe in helping partners and clients examine and understand gaps and root causes of inequities. As such, I make a conscious effort to foster active listening and safe dialogue, using best practices, evidence, and multiple perspectives to guide decision making that will result in transformational change.
Mindfulness approaches can support creative ideas and solutions to emerging problems. It can also help us move away from a compliance, reactionary mindset to more meaningful change. I cultivate spaces where clients can take the time to observe, reflect, and ground themselves on the wellbeing of individuals, the organization, and the communities they serve.
Collaboration is integral to how I build trust and effective partnerships. I work with clients who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, and I begin from where they are. I take a participatory approach, as I co-design experiences and products. I create a culture of inclusion, providing opportunities for all voices to be heard, as I build common understanding to move the work forward toward desired goals.
“I was so fortunate to work with Eliza on a project to develop a teacher leadership model for the Somerville Public Schools. She co-wrote the grant proposal with us and when the district received funding, she and I worked closely throughout various phases of the work. Eliza and her colleague provided technical assistance and coaching, conducted research on best practices, and facilitated team design meetings, as we gathered input from district personnel. I enjoyed working with Eliza and appreciated her collaborative and mindful approach, her ability to actively listen and consider multiple perspectives, and her knack for bridging strategic vision with details.”
— KAREN WOODS, CHIEF PERSONNEL OFFICER, SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Bodhi leaves in my logo represent the search for knowledge and understanding, and the wisdom gained from our experiences and from others.