Born and raised in Colorado, Elizabeth Mahoney moved to Northern Colorado in 2002 to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Counseling with a Marriage and Family emphasis at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). While initially planning to leave after completing her degree, she developed a deep connection to Greeley and chose to make it home.

Following graduate school, Elizabeth took a non-traditional career path, spending nearly 18 years in Higher Education as a Career Counselor. During her time at UNC, she led teams of undergraduate and graduate students, providing guidance and mentorship. In 2008, her student staff nominated her for the Most Inspiring Woman of the Year award, a recognition that underscored the impact she had on those she mentored.

Committed to service beyond her direct role, Elizabeth actively contributed to several university committees, including the Student Employee Appreciation of the Year committee and the Professional Administrative Staff Council (PASC), where she served as Chair for two years. In this role, she worked closely with the President’s Office, Cabinet, and HR to advocate for employee needs and improve the workplace experience at UNC. Her dedication was recognized in 2018 when she was named PASC Employee of the Year, an honor she deeply values. Additionally, she served on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, further supporting a culture of belonging within the university.

Through these experiences, Elizabeth developed a passion for workplace well-being, leadership development, and helping people find happiness in their careers. Leaning into her Maximizer strength, she recognized that she had reached a growth ceiling at UNC and sought new challenges. In 2018, she transitioned to part-time at UNC to launch Complete Professional Development, a leadership coaching and workplace consulting firm.

The challenges of 2020 made it difficult for businesses to invest in professional development, but Elizabeth remained committed to her mission. In October 2020, she took a leap of faith, leaving UNC to focus fully on growing Complete Professional Development. As workplaces navigated the disruptions of the pandemic, she discovered her true calling: helping organizations redefine and build healthy workplace cultures that support employee growth, retention, and strong leadership.

A great workday for Elizabeth is helping leaders and teams understand how they contribute to their roles, leverage their strengths, and build workplace cultures where employees feel valued, work well together, and are excited to show up each day—eliminating the dreaded “case of the Mondays.”