Meet Our Board: Elizabeth Gourde, Marketing Committee
Elizabeth Gourde, an active member of the Executive and Marketing Committees.
Elizabeth Gourde is the newest member of the Executive Board at Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, and she is bright-eyed and eager to bring her skills in marketing, writing and extroversion to the table.
Gourde is a Holyoke native and works at Eastern States Exposition (ESE), a non-profit organization that exists to benefit agriculture, education, entertainment and industry across New England and beyond. The fairgrounds serve as a host site for more than 130 events annually, including The Fiber Festival of New England; Hooplandia, the Northeast’s Ultimate 3x3 Basketball Tourney + Festival; and The Big E, a 17-day, multi-state fair. The Big E is the fourth largest event of its kind in North America, according to its 1.6 million annual visitors.
Elizabeth interviews Dennis and Susan Freleigh of Butcher Boys at The Big E 2025.
Gourde joins Hank Azaria, distinguished actor and Bruce Springsteen impersonator, on stage at the fair in 2025.
She has been the organization’s Communications and Public Relations Coordinator since October of 2024. In this role, Gourde has domain over press releases, media alerts, web copy, media relations and more within the Marketing department. She attended her first event with YPS of Greater Springfield through her office last year and since then she has been a consistent friendly face at Morning Mingles, Leadership Luncheons and Third Thursdays.
She gravitates toward leadership roles; therefore, she inevitably orbited near the Executive Board at each event. She was recruited to the Marketing Committee at the start of the year, where she has thrived as blog writer and content contributor. At the start of March, she was welcomed into an executive role.
Gourde boasts extensive experience writing for publication. She secured her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of Our Lady of the Elms in May of 2023. During her senior year, she took advantage of the Cooperative Colleges of Greater Springfield Partnership to enroll in courses in communication, film studies and creative writing through Western New England University. In the summer of 2025, she earned a graduate certificate in publishing through the University of Denver’s Publishing Institute. She helped produce an alumni magazine and a multi-media creative arts magazine at Elms, hosted a writing workshop for Holyoke’s Care Center and worked as a peer tutor and circulation desk attendant in the school library.
After graduation, Gourde won the title of Holyoke’s 2024 Grand Colleen in her hometown’s Irish heritage pageant, a tradition that has just reached its 70th anniversary. She and her court represented local diaspora on a tour of Western Mass.; they visited grade schools, elderly care facilities, veterans’ homes, community cultural events and the business partners of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee. Their reign culminated in appearances at the city’s Road Race and St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which together attract a cumulative 100,000 attendees.
Her heritage is a significant part of her identity and trickles into her roles at ESE. Gourde develops the annual marketing plan for the West Springfield Tartan and serves as a liaison to Dingle, Ireland, which is the official sister city of West Springfield, Mass.
Elizabeth smiles with staff from The Big E and the Dingle Pavillion Showcase at the fair.
Among her accolades, Gourde volunteers her time with charities far and wide—the Western Mass. Mutt Rescue, the St. Bernard Project, the Encuentro Project, Dress for Success, etc. She serves on four committees within the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), is enrolled in the Institute of Fair Management and is poised on the Advisory Committee for the Homework House of Holyoke.
Elizabeth chats with a group of YPS members at a Third Thursday cocktail event at The Fort in Springfield, Mass.
“Young professionals have a bad rep,” said Gourde. “Generations before us perceive that we lack drive, but I’ve only ever met contemporaries similarly lit afire by their ambitions through YPS. My first event was an evening at the bar under the Marriott in downtown Springfield, and I was overwhelmed by the warm welcome I received. I left with pockets weighed down by business cards, relieved I took the leap.
“When we have career day in elementary school, we think that our options are limited—be a lawyer, a firefighter, a doctor—but the truth is that we can build careers around our gifts. If you chase your talents and find a job that speaks to what sets you apart, it’s hard to be unhappy. I’m proof, and so are many of the people you meet at YPS. It’s worth coming to an event to get to know these motivated people.”
Elizabeth with circus performers and fair management staff.
Outside of her professional life, Gourde maintains a vibrant social calendar. You can almost always find her dancing at a concert, running country roads, catching up with friends, stress baking, curating playlists on long road trips or writing and reading in coffee shops, on train rides or on plane rides. She’s young and convinced nothing is surefire—with exception to the fact she won’t be standing still and growing moss anytime soon.
You can reach Elizabeth Gourde at EGourde@TheBigE.com, and she’d love to meet you at the next networking event run by YPS of Greater Springfield, so head to our events page!