Recommendations

“I directly managed Liz for five years as she transitioned from a senior researcher to a manager to a head of research role. Through it all Liz developed deep relationships across the business, artfully navigated change, and led her team to be a trusted source of insights for Duo Security's toughest business challenges. Liz excels at coaching and empowering her team members to do their best work and is herself a very growth minded person, always learning and figuring out ways to tackle new challenges. Liz is also incredibly witty and brings great perspective to a leadership team. She drives to clarity and business outcomes, while creating a safe space for everyone. I highly recommend Liz and hope we get to work together again in the future!”

- Amber Lindholm, Design Executive at Cisco Systems

“I had the absolute privilege of working alongside Liz as peer research leaders at Cisco. She consistently demonstrated deep knowledge of our field and a profound understanding of people. Her strategic acumen and ability to take innovative approaches earned her the trust and respect of colleagues and stakeholders alike. Liz is not only highly knowledgeable about design research and UX research but is also empathetic, fostering a collaborative environment that empowered her research team to excel. Her leadership skills are exceptional, and I am confident that she would be an invaluable asset to any organization seeking a visionary UX research leader.”

- Alyson Munroe, UX Research Leader & Strategist, Cisco Secure Research

“I had the privilege of working with and for Liz at Duo Security then at Cisco Security. At Duo, we were a design research team of two, supporting a growing team of about 10 designers in a fast-moving culture. Liz's arrival marked serious maturation of our practice; she brought a vision for solidifying our professionalism and broadening our impact outside the design team to the entire company. This involved pursuing use of new methods, increasing our engagement with stakeholders existing and new, and developing research operations processes we had lacked. Liz was central to building our nascent research efforts into process-driven practice in a remarkably short period of time. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from Liz during that dynamic time.

“When Liz became the head of design research, I was fortunate to have her as my supervisor. Liz made that transition look easy, when I'm sure it had many difficulties as our team was evolving and growing within the significantly larger Cisco Security unit. Liz's management style with me was an extension of our ongoing cooperative research partnership, with her encouraging me to continue experimenting and varying my research methods for best effect, as well as inquiring into how my projects were progressing at just detailed enough a level that would let her provide meaningful practitioner advice, along with insights from a managerial level, and invaluable suggestions of relevant sources of support and resources to seek out. That guidance made me a better researcher and clearly showed Liz's serious prowess at driving impact in organizations large and small.”

- Mark Thompson-Kolar, Senior Lead Design Researcher at Duo Security, Cisco Secure Research

“I worked closely with Liz for over 5 years as a fellow Design leader at Cisco/Duo. As you can imagine, in an organization the size of Cisco, we collectively experienced many ups and downs, successes and challenges during this time. On reflection, one of the qualities I admired most about Liz is her ability to bring clarity and confidence to complex situations, especially during times of change. When our design leadership team had to navigate difficult transitions—like org shifts and leadership changes—Liz stood out for her exceptional ability to navigate and communicate to our teams during these times.

“Liz has an exceptional talent for cutting through ambiguity, finding the right information, and delivering it with sincerity, empathy, and transparency. Her messages never feel scripted or forced; they are thoughtful, honest, and attuned to the needs of her teams and partners.

“By openly sharing realities while acknowledging the emotions that come with change, she fosters trust and a sense of stability. She treats everyone with respect and as capable professionals, ensuring they feel informed, supported, and empowered—even in uncertainty. Her leadership brings people together and helps teams move forward with confidence. Any team would be lucky to have her guiding the way, and I am thankful to have had Liz by my side during our time together at Cisco/Duo.”

- Fraser Marshall, Director of Product Design at Duo Security, Cisco Secure

“Liz was an amazing research and product strategy partner to me and leaders across the Duo and Cisco Security organizations. I’d highly recommend her to anyone looking for an outcomes-oriented design research leader.

Liz finds insights and turns them into actionable plans. She empowers teams to assess and measure the impact of their work. She sweats out half-baked ideas and shapes them into winning strategies.

Liz and I partnered to direct an enterprise business transformation initiative for Duo following the Cisco acquisition. It was ultimately her facilitation that led to product management prioritizing ten key product improvements that helped Duo scale its product experience for enterprise-grade customers.

Liz and I also partnered in leading the overhaul of the Duo multifactor authentication experience. Her success metrics workshop framework ensured all teams understood the impact of their work and we had collective confidence in the outcomes of the project – a particularly broad effort with multiple phases.

As a manager, Liz empowers her team members and communicates very effectively up and across the organization. She makes sure her team members are connected to the priorities of the business.

Liz is also a joy to work with! A keen sense of humor, high emotional intelligence, genuine kindness, and compassion for others make her the sort of leader that you want to build around.

I hope I get to work closely with Liz again someday!”

- Ryan Laverty, Design Leader at Cisco Systems