Elizabeth joined the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2005 as an adjunct faculty member. She graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics with business administration as a minor. She then attended Northwestern University and Converse College, where she earned her Master of Arts in Teaching in mathematics with a minor in education. After graduation, she taught mathematics in the eighth and ninth grades at Boiling Springs Junior High; then taught mathematics and computer science in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades at Dorman High School before becoming the assistant principal at Byrnes High School. She was named director of middle and secondary curriculum at Byrnes High School before joining USC Upstate.