Meet Our Board: Elizabeth Hillis, Secretary

Are you considering getting involved with YPS of Greater Springfield? Then you should probably know who’s operating this ship at the helm. In our “Meet Our Board” blog series, we’ll introduce you to each of our Executive Board members, beginning with our secretary, Elizabeth Hillis.

Hillis is a resident of Holyoke, Mass. In 2012, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Smith College of Northampton, Mass. She currently works as a promotions and marketing associate at WWLP-22News. In this role, she manages sales-based research for the news station, including market information, ratings and digital statistics. She works closely with the promotions and productions team by trafficking station promotions, overseeing the production of sales-facing vignettes and more.

Prior to her role at WWLP-22News, Hillis was senior manager and vice president at a human services organization funded by the Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Children & Families. Her other career experience includes time spent as a social media manager for both a comic shop and an indie nerdcore rapper as well as working as a web strategist for a web design company.

Hillis has been involved with YPS of Greater Springfield for nearly four years. She has risen through the ranks as the Executive Committee secretary and the co-chair of the Marketing Committee.

“WWLP got a business membership for YPS when our staff returned to the office post-lockdown,” explained Hillis. “My boss suggested that I would do well as a Marketing Committee member, and I was happy to join.”

She recalls that her first networking event with the organization was a Third Thursday at The Boathouse Restaurant in South Hadley, Mass.

“Tyler [Hadley] and Caitlin [Elliott-Hadley] were probably the first people I spoke to at a YPS event,” she said, “but I remember everyone there being really welcoming. It was surprisingly easy to jump into and out of different conversations.

“That Third Thursday event made it clear how easy it was to start building a community and connections in YPS. At the second event I attended, I was already recognizing faces and saying ‘hi’ to everyone.”

Hillis is most grateful for the community that YPS offers, as well as the opportunity to be a leader. She admits to struggling with networking in the past and is grateful for events that offer built-in team activities, including Friendsgiving, Adult Field Day and the Up Next Summit. Additionally, she loves that the monthly calendar of events is constantly introducing her to new restaurants and social spaces in Western Mass.

“The organization offers an easy-to-navigate, pre-built community that you can access at events and through social channels, like Facebook and Instagram,” she continued, “I enjoy being on the Executive Board and seeing all our hard work contribute to making events as great as possible.”

Outside of the workplace and YPS, Hillis volunteers weekly with the cats at Thomas J O’Connor Animal Shelter in Springfield, Mass. She finds joy in reading, writing, editing and art, and is a total cinephile, so be sure to ask her about your most anticipated movie releases. She’s a self-declared gamer and loves both videogames and roleplaying games—she even independently publishes her own Zine Games with her creative partner, Barak Blackburn, through Density Media.

Whether you’re interested in chatting about experiential gameplay, learning more about her role on the Executive Board or hearing how she has created a career path in alignment with her personal interests, Elizabeth would be happy to welcome you to YPS of Greater Springfield.

Check out the Events page on our website for more information! You can also get in touch with her directly through the Leadership page.

Elizabeth Hillis presents to a group about her role in YPS.