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IT Service Status
IT Service Status

Elizabeth (Liz) Summers

Senior Project Manager

Senior Project Manager

IT Business Operations

Email: elizabeth.summers2@northwestern.edu

Liz brings extensive experience in Information Technology and Project Management.  Over the course of her career, she has led projects involving credit card transaction processing via satellite, point-of-sale and back-office service station systems, pioneering pay-at-the-pump technology, and cloud computing initiatives. She was trained in what is considered the first generation of Agile development methodology by Jim Highsmith (Cutter Consortium, founding member of Agile and co-author of the Agile Manifesto).  Industry experience includes IT Consulting, Consumer Packaged Goods, Insurance & Financial Services, Health Care Insurance, Food Services, Government/Public Sector, Energy & Gas, and Higher Education.  As a key contributor in IT, Liz has managed many projects from definition to rollout.  She has been recognized for excellence in leadership in positions held at previous employers, and more recently received multiple Project Team Excellence Awards during her tenure at Northwestern.

 Liz has a passion for service.  She enjoys working with IT and business stakeholder groups to help them define, organize, and manage mission critical work. In the spirit of teaching and learning, Liz enjoys coaching junior PMs on various methods, approaches, and tips and tricks on how to engage and lead high performing project teams.  She works with all levels within an organization, from junior developer to senior/c-suite IT and business executive leadership.

Liz earned her BS degree in Computer Information Systems from DePaul University.  Prior to joining Northwestern, she was a Project Manager at IBM, where she traveled around the country leading Salesforce implementation project teams.  Outside of work, Liz sings and travels with several gospel groups including her grammy-nominated church choir.  She also enjoys walking, gardening, and spending time with family, sorority sisters, and close friends.