Elizabeth Orbison Email & Phone Number

San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco, California, United States

I rejoined TechSoup in a newly created leadership role, reporting to the COO. In this role I drive the design and implementation of improved business operations and enable a future-ready global workforce that embodies the skills, culture, and values as well as the processes, technology, and tools to best deliver on the TechSoup mission.In this cross-functional role, I work closely with the executive team, department heads, and operations teams to focus on improving processes and operational efficiency across the enterprise. In the last two years, I have worked across the organization on things like: establishing practices that streamline decision-making; improving internal communications and clarity; or just helping make it easier to get things done. Areas of focus and projects include:• Developed a new operating model which led to our recent restructuring• Establishing an AI Working group, with our infrastructure and data leads, to ensure data and security compliance, training, and opportunities for embedding into TechSoup’s business practices.• Focused cost management in a transitioning landscape, which includes many end user technology transitions, reducing operating costs by $1M year-over-year• Re-imagining work/ staff enablement as we embrace a global hybrid work environment. This involves understanding TechSoup’s needs and challenges, gathering ideas, conducting research and then developing practices to ensure a positive, adaptive and innovative culture and achieve our strategic initiatives.

During the pandemic, I consulted and volunteered at various organizations: TechSoup, Invest In Women Entrepreneurs, Sugarlogix, and several Bay Area NGOs. • Lead the operations and logistics teams for virtual events: TechSoup’s first virtual summit (ten days, 1000+ participants); CA Women’s Business Center’s “Women Shaping the New Economy” Event, and weekly zoom services for a local church. Maintained or improved participation numbers and financial contributions.• Formulated strategic plans, evaluated, and improved internal business structures, developed processes and augmented finance, human resources, and project management for start-ups and non-profits.• Chaired recruitment committees/ efforts: two national leadership searches and various other essential roles.

Hayward, California

In the spring of 2019, I jumped feet first into the management team at Nelumbo (a material science startup). I helped define our strategy and played a hands-on role in implementation. I managed the day-to-day operations and worked alongside my business partners to streamline their process improvement and cross-functional collaboration efforts while the globetrotting executive team focused on the Series A raise and sealed future deals. I grew the team from 15 – 20 people and setup the operating plans and infrastructure for our 2020 and beyond growth.• As the BizOps partner (aka the one non-engineer/scientist member of the team), I diagnosed the need for and established strategic frameworks to identify business metrics and resource staffing to ensure short- and long-term goals. I worked across functional teams and identified and planned for new projects and internal R&D innovation, functional team continuous improvement and the demands on our physical space and internal equipment.• I launched the project management function through the implementation of productivity tools and process improvement. We increased collaboration and communication between internal and external stakeholders to meet our aggressive revenue and sustainability milestones.• After the Bay Area’s COVID-19 Shelter in Place, I led Nelumbo’s global response and adaptation to the pandemic and enabled the continuity of business operations. I developed protocols and managed our resource planning to safely open our lab through careful analysis of county and state COVID-19 guidelines. We successfully met critical path milestones while striving for improvement of team’s psychological safety during a global pandemic.

San Francisco Bay Area

I was attracted to TechSoup for its global impact and leadership team and was thrilled when I had the opportunity to join the CEO’s Office to increase the to increase the executive leadership’s capacity through improving decision-making processes, internal communications, and executive initiatives. • I was an integral part of the growth capital campaign team, in helping develop the $45M+ year-over-year enterprise-wide projection and investment model that enabled the $11.5M Regulation A+ Direct Public Offering. Through this project, I became familiar with every business line and was able to help build connections between departments and skillsets.• Over time, I expanded my role to be the cross-functional lead for a variety of enterprise-wide initiatives: global employee onboarding and journey; monthly in-person and virtual staff meetings; vendor and lease negotiation; Global Summit; Safety Committee (active shooter, earthquake, etc) and several infrastructure/ IT projects, etc. • I find myself at home when I can cultivate enterprise-wide relationships, and advocate for employees needs as well as champion executive team actions and organization initiatives. My experience has taught me that that in the long run, human-centered designs have an impact on product and innovation because it enables teams to understand needs, motivations, and roadblocks.

San Francisco Bay Area

Washington D.C. Metro Area

I still remember the day when my MBA program offered me my first opportunity to pivot from law to an operations career. While still an MBA candidate, I created and led the Georgetown McDonough's MBA Career Center operations team. We provided outstanding customer service in support of leadership career transformations for MBA students in full-time, part-time and executive degree programs. • I hired mission-oriented and lifelong learners and together we improved the career center operations by creating an Employee Recruitment Guide, re-engineering our recruitment and logistics processes and supporting the coaching sessions for 1000+ students and 20+ coaches.• With an eye towards SaaS platform improvements and data analytics, we created and transitioned to MBA CareerView (MCV). This first of its kind operating system was a one-stop shop for managing coaching appointments, corporate recruitment (applications, interview scheduling, etc) and provided students historical interview and offer information. Our customers included: students (1000+), coaches (30+), employers (300+) and alumni (10k+).

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Master Of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), History