Liz Vales Damron

Affiliate Practitioner

Liz Vales Damron is a Senior Affiliated Research Practitioner with the Center for Effective Organizations, and she co-leads the Strategic Organization Design and Strategic Organization Design Activation Workshops along with custom programs for clients.

Liz is a seasoned advisor and executive with 25+ years of experience transforming organizations and accelerating team performance to unlock potential. She has successfully led multiple Fortune 100 organization design and transformation efforts, resulting in increased performance and employee engagement. Leveraging a purpose-driven approach, Liz partners closely with senior leaders and teams to bring business strategy to life through people. She is known for her ability to develop and coach high impact teams, grounded in values and trust. Liz’s clients appreciate her ability to clarify direction, develop pragmatic solutions and galvanize leaders.

Prior to working with the Center for Effective Organizations, Liz was the VP of Organization Effectiveness and member of the Executive HR Leadership Team at Nike, Inc. and was responsible for driving transformation aligned to Nike’s growth opportunities. She and her team led the design and activation of the global operating model – including the organization structure, roles, ways of working and behaviors – to accelerate Nike’s Consumer Direct strategy.

Before Nike, Liz led the Organization Effectiveness team at Allstate Insurance. In this role, her team was responsible for leading organization and culture change, including the transformation of several business units and the development of high performing leadership teams. Early in her career, Liz was a Senior Manager in Accenture’s Organization and Human Performance consulting practice, focused on creating high performing workplaces through culture change, learning and development, and change management across a variety of industries.

  • Master of Science in Organization Development, Pepperdine University
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Evidence Based Executive Coaching Certification, Fielding University
  • Inclusive and Authentic Leadership Certification, Northwestern University

Recent Research