Liz began her employment as a Financial Analyst in Fiscal Services on November 6, 2005. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance from Western Illinois University (WIU) in May 2003. Currently, Liz is enrolled in accounting courses from WIU to expand her knowledge base and continue her education.

Liz is a self-motivator and strives hard to get a job done expertly and efficiently. Her knowledge of Microsoft Excel is excellent and mostly self-taught. Liz takes her projects a step further by adding the little extras onto the spreadsheets to make them easy to use and attractive. When she is asked if Excel can do more, she researches the issue and usually comes up with a solution. As additional responsibilities are given to Liz, the projects will certainly be done well and on time. She handles her workload by using humor and by adopting a relaxed attitude.

Liz definitely enjoys a good challenge! Last fall, she challenged herself to meet the Action O-I deadline. Even though Action O-I was new to her, she still accomplished it in a short time frame. The expectation was exceedingly met, and this was accomplished mainly due to her strong work ethic and her ability to learn a project very quickly.

Liz works closely with the department directors and provides them with the necessary tools to make their jobs easier. She has developed the 100-day workout program that all of the directors are using for their projects. She has also completed a Directors Dashboard to help save time for the directors. Liz continues to update the programs she develops to better accommodate the directors and their needs. Liz has had an extremely positive impact on MDH!

The directors comment on how much they enjoy working with Liz and how knowledgeable she is. They quickly realized that she knew what she was doing and that she would be able to help them solve some of their problems with their budget, productivity, and Action O-I. She has a quick response time to any requests, and she graciously makes changes to the budget. The comment, "Liz gets more done faster than anyone I've ever seen," was stated by a peer of Liz's. She is friendly and courteous to everyone. She is also a good teacher who explains ideas well and never makes a person feel like they have asked a silly question.

Liz is married to Nick Knowles. She enjoys walking and playing with her beloved cocker spaniel, Riley. She also likes to exercise and spend time with her family and friends.