Liz Szambelan

Director of Operations

Liz Szambelan is a nonprofit operations leader with nearly two decades of experience building the systems, teams, and structures that allow mission-driven organizations to thrive. A University of Michigan alumni and DePaul University College of Law graduate, she launched her career in immigration law in Chicago before transitioning into education operations following law school — returning to Detroit to contribute to its school systems.

Liz spent almost 10 years growing with Promise Schools, from an operations manager to later its Senior Director of Operations, where she developed a school operations model later replicated across additional charter schools. Her work spanned strategic planning, board governance, team management, and state and federal grant compliance. Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff for Give Merit, partnering with executive leadership on organizational strategy, team management, culture, and cross-functional operations.

Liz brings deep operational expertise, a practitioner's understanding of nonprofit challenges, and a track record of building scalable systems that support organizational growth.

Credentials: 

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - BA Political Science

• DePaul University College of Law - Juris Doctor 

Fun Facts

• I am learning to play golf alongside my two daughters — and have fully accepted that they are already better than I am.

• I am an avid reader and usually have a book or two going at any given time. 

• I have a chocolate lab who enjoys lots of treats and long naps.