Coast-to-coast devotion

It’s not a stretch to say that Liz Lazor ’15 offered a different perspective when she joined the Boundless Impact Campaign Steering Committee in 2018.

The youngest committee member, she looked at topics more with the eyes of a student compared with her more established and successful committee counterparts.

“I have a close pulse on the student experience and what that is like,” Lazor said.

Then she added, laughing, “The first few meetings that I went to, I was staying with my friends who were still in college. I was crashing on their couch to go to these meetings, while many of my fellow board members were flying in privately, so I had a different view from that perspective.”

That youthful perspective, along with her energy and excitement for all things Virginia Tech, played major roles in the university’s Advancement Division asking the 30-year-old to be one of the tri-chairs of the steering committee for the upcoming term.

On March 14, the university announced the naming of Lazor, along with Deseria Creighton-Barney ’86 and J. Pearson ’87, as the new tri-chairs of Boundless Impact: The Campaign for Virginia Tech. Together, they will lead the university’s ambitious $1.872 billion fundraising campaign designed to drive forward major initiatives and scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2027.

Lazor received the invitation to be a tri-chair during a call with Angela Hayes, associate vice president for advancement and campaign director, a call that surprised her in a good way.

“I really thought she was going to say, ‘You haven't been attending enough meetings,’ or sometimes I do them virtually or I didn't donate enough compared to my peers on the board who have buildings named after them,” Lazor said. “She said, ‘No, we want you to be one of the tri-chairs,’ and she told me, ‘Think about it. You know you don't have to answer now.’  

“I said, ‘I'll answer you right now – yes. Before you change your mind, I'm going to take this.’”

Lazor, who graduated with a degree in finance from the Pamplin College of Business, currently works in Palo Alto, California, where she lives with her husband, Siggi Simonarson ’13. Her background in student governance while at Virginia Tech makes her an ideal fit to be both on the committee and in a position of leadership. During her time at the university, she served as a residential advisor, class treasurer, and student body president.  

“Being so involved gave me a lot of access as a student to administrators and faculty members that I wouldn't have otherwise sought out,” Lazor said. “Being on the campaign steering committee has been a similar experience in that the campaign steering committee is working with administrators and faculty members to reach those goals. They're in the meetings with us. They're the ones giving us updates on what's happening with the university, so it feels very, very similar in that regard.”

In addition, Lazor has enjoyed career success in the financial industry, and those skills will serve the committee well. A certified financial planner, she originally wanted to live and work in New York City, but an interview with a company in Palo Alto sold her on California – so much so that she called a New Jersey firm to turn down an offer before even landing an opportunity in California.  

She later made the bold decision to leave her original place of employment and join a startup company, which allowed her to earn ownership shares and increased pay and gain more of a voice in the business’ direction. The startup was eventually acquired by Wealthfront, and today, she manages partnerships for Wealthfront.

“I'm there for what I want right now,” Lazor said. “I love the partnership/business development angle, and I think that plays to my strengths. It's very relationship heavy, and it's these long deals, a lot like what happens on this board. You've got to form these relationships that may take several years before a deal is made or pays off, but I like that, and I am not as interested in the transactional type of work. I don’t know 10 years from now, but right now I do love what I do.”

No matter where she works or lives or what she is doing, Lazor finds a way to remain connected to Virginia Tech, though that’s almost easy considering her familial ties to the university. A Northern Virginia native, she is one of five children – all of whom graduated from Virginia Tech and three of whom participated in student government at the institution. So, her experiences and those of her siblings often generate conversation about their undergraduate days.

Also, Lazor has been active in alumni activities in the Bay Area since her arrival there. Many alumni members gather occasionally at The Bus Stop in San Francisco to watch games and engage in general revelry – events sometimes enjoyed with the consumption of a shot of Wild Turkey, of course, in honor of the university’s mascot. In fact, former football coach Frank Beamer attended one of their events, using his personal skills to engage with the Bay Area Hokies.  

It's that feeling of pride for her school, a bond among most alumni, and the university’s impact globally that led her to get involved with Boundless Impact. Today, she believes so much in its goals that she wants to remain a part of it in the years to come. She even took a week off work in October to come back to Blacksburg for a committee meeting and to watch the Hokies’ Thursday night football game against Syracuse.

“I don't know what I'll do after this board,” she said. “But I'm happy to be here as long as they want me to be here, and then after that, there are some other groups and boards that have asked for my participation. I want to be focused on one thing, so I've been careful about not doing too many other things. But I'll stay on this board as long as I can.”