Her Story
About Lizzie
Elizabeth Ortolano serves as an executive at the American Hospital Association, where she oversees teams and focuses on driving revenue, expanding products and services, and developing strategy maps to achieve intended outcomes. With nearly 20 years in nonprofit management, her expertise spans program development, fundraising, content production, and advocacy-driven activities. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Illinois State University in 2007 and maintains active membership in ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives, and Association Forum. Ortolano was a founding member of the Alzheimer's Association Illinois Junior Board, which won an award for engaging young professionals in fundraising. She attributes her success to professional organizations, multiple mentors, learning from both effective and ineffective leaders, and building teams by leveraging colleagues' strengths. Her core values include integrity, open-mindedness, recognizing individual differences, learning from failures, and not letting perfect be the enemy of good.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lizzie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to leaning on professional organizations, having multiple mentors, learning from good and bad leaders, and learning from colleagues by leaning into their strengths to build successful teams.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Ask more questions.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You are coming into a leadership role for a reason with skills and expertise. Do not shy away from expressing your opinion and being strong. Leverage emotional intelligence as a strength rather than letting it hold you back.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Opportunities include using AI effectively, navigating healthcare changes and workforce shortages, and learning from the next generation of workers across multiple generations in the workforce.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, being open-minded, recognizing that people are different and respond differently so it's not one size fits all, learning from failures, and not letting perfect be the enemy of good.
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