Leslie Lizama

Leslie Lizama joined the Gemstone Honors Program as the Operations Specialist in 2023. Leslie is a double alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Professional Studies in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

With a strong background in operations, Leslie's previous experience as a Senior Business Operations Associate involved managing accounts valued at over $3 million, training new associates, and providing data-driven insights to support decision-making. In her current role with Gemstone, Leslie manages critical program functions including tracking the budgets of the program and 39 research teams, maintaining the Gemstone database of students, faculty mentors, and librarians, and overseeing faculty mentor appointments and payments. Additionally, with a background in I/O Psychology and passion for organizational effectiveness and enhancing program efficiency, Leslie also developed a streamlined onboarding process for all Gemstone staff and operational training materials for Gemstone financial liaisons. 

In her free time, Leslie enjoys traveling, working out, and trying new restaurants (especially with her loved ones.)

Ask me about:

• Team budgeting
• Fundraising & LaunchUMD
• Conference travel and reimbursements
• Class registration
• Scheduling team meetings