Liz is a naturalist with over a decade of experience in plant care and ecological restoration. Most recently she worked as a horticulturist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC), where she cared for the museum's Nature Gardens, a certified wildlife habitat in downtown Los Angeles. She was proud to lead the museum's corps of dedicated garden volunteers in plant maintenance. This past fall she led them in the planting of more than 400 plants to the Nature Gardens. As a long-serving member of the museum's Community Engagement Council, Liz co-created and delivered science-based educational programming for NHMLAC's community partners, including the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians' Education and Cultural Learning Department, the Ahmanson Senior Center, the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, the Downey City Library, and many others. She is deeply committed to working with diverse groups of volunteers and community partners in the education, conservation, and stewardship of urban nature in the Los Angeles area.

Previously she worked as a manager of a retail and wholesale plant nursery in the Torrance/Gardena area, where she offered design work, counseling on plant health issues, and workshops on edible gardening and California native plant gardening. She has also done restoration work in Ojai, CA, on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in history and Latin American studies, with an emphasis on environmental history and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, she now resides in Southeast Torrance with her husband, father-in-law, and pets. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, listening to live music, and watching basketball. She is thrilled to be joining the City of Torrance and the Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center.