Dr. Elizabeth Speck is the Principal and Founder of MindOpen Learning Strategies (MOLS), which provides truly engaging, transformative learning experiences for individuals, groups, and organizations working toward social justice goals. Elizabeth knows firsthand that well-timed transformative learning leads to better client services and less burnout among staff. With 25 years of direct service, management, and capacity-building experience in New York City’s complex human service systems, Elizabeth has adapted to many program and policy changes, broken down systems silos and built a network of leaders committed to moving beyond the status quo.
Elizabeth started her career as a Teaching Artist and Drama Therapist within psychiatric hospitals and prisons, determined to enhance the humanity of dehumanizing systems. This sparked a passion for helping human service organizations become healthier places to work, leading to earning a Ph.D. in Organizational Development. Elizabeth has also worked as Senior Training Director with Safe Horizon, which is the largest provider of services to victims of violence and abuse in the U.S., with a wide array of programs throughout New York City. In that role, Elizabeth developed and deployed resources to continually enhance program staff effectiveness.
Her strategic priorities included maximizing client-centred practice; standardizing key practice elements within and across programs, and supporting supervisors and managers to implement quality supervision practices that forward organizational change goals. She also assessed learning needs across all program areas; collaborated with program leadership to establish training priorities; developed and delivered curricula in the classroom and via technology; and evaluated the effectiveness of their learning programs.
