Liza Adams is not just a doer; she is a dynamo.
In fact, when asked if she ever sleeps, she just laughed and replied that she gets asked that a lot.
Liza is our latest Colorado AI VIP because – just like the very best athletes – she can see the whole field. Or perhaps it’s the whole rink, because in this case – just like Wayne Gretzky – Liza skates not to where the puck is, but to where it’s going to be. And just like The Great One, Liza's work ethic is legendary.
An accomplished AI advisor to businesses and a fractional CMO, Liza has quickly made herself a powerhouse in the artificial intelligence community. She’s a prolific – and valued – presence on LinkedIn and a frequent presenter on AI and marketing topics at conferences and on podcasts. Additionally, she serves on several advisory boards and has been awarded multiple honors, including being one of Pavilion’s 50 CMOs to Watch in 2024.
From her home in Lafayette, Colorado, Liza has been helping to reshape the marketing landscape by integrating artificial intelligence into strategic decision-making. Her twin journeys, from the Philippines to the U.S., and from engineering to the upper reaches of strategic marketing, reflect her vision, her hard work, her unique skill set, and her adaptability.
In the process, she's become a leading voice in how strategic marketers need to use AI to earn their seat at the table, and in the larger picture, how businesses should make the most of AI so they are not left behind their competitors. In her spare time, Liza has made a name for herself as a mentor to many young entrepreneurs and AI enthusiasts.
Elevating Marketing through AI
Liza views AI as a powerful ally in transforming marketing from mere execution to strategic innovation. "AI is more than just a blogging assistant; it’s a thought partner," she explains. And through her consulting firm, GrowthPath Partners, Liza offers her business clients a smooth trail to better understanding just how valuable a tool AI can be when it’s put to use in a robust manner.
By leveraging AI, marketers can gain deeper insights and make informed decisions that drive business growth. Liza emphasizes that AI should be used to enhance strategic value rather than just automate tasks, and she believes that AI can elevate marketing by providing analytics that inform strategy and decision-making, thus propelling businesses forward.
AI's potential to revolutionize marketing lies in its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. This capability allows marketers to understand consumer behavior better and tailor their strategies accordingly. Liza highlights that AI also can help identify new market opportunities and optimize campaigns for maximum impact.
Diversity and Inclusion
A passionate advocate for diversity, Liza draws inspiration from the Justice League, highlighting how important distinct, yet supporting skills can be to healthy team dynamics. "We need people with complementary superpowers," she asserts. For Liza, diverse teams are essential for innovation and performance. She stresses that inclusive representation in AI development is crucial for ensuring that the technology benefits all of humanity.
Her commitment to diversity extends to her advocacy for women and people of color in leadership roles, believing that varied perspectives lead to better outcomes. Liza argues that diverse teams bring unique viewpoints that foster creativity and problem-solving, ultimately driving business success.
Journey from Engineering to Marketing
Liza's transition from her engineering background to her starring role in marketing is a testament to her adaptability. Initially pursuing engineering due to her strengths in math and science, she discovered her passion for storytelling and simplifying complex concepts. "I found that I could tell stories in plain English that people would understand," she shares.
Her journey underscores the value of diverse skill sets in leadership roles, something that may be more important today than ever before. By combining technical knowledge with strategic communication, Liza has carved a distinct niche for herself in the world of marketing and AI. Her experience as an engineer gives her a unique perspective on technology's role in business, as well as the confidence to get into the technical weeds, enabling her to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical audiences.
Presenting at MAICON
It’s Liza’s ability to connect with a variety of audiences – and to help each one understand what the others are talking about – that makes her such a unique and valuable talent.
And it’s through LinkedIn that Liza connected with Paul Roetzer, perhaps the preeminent guru in the world of marketing AI. He's founder of the Marketing AI Institute and the force behind MAICON, the annual Marketing AI Conference held in Cleveland. As a testament to the power that can come from using LinkedIn strategically, it was Liza’s thoughtful and well-researched posts that led Paul to invite her to present at this year’s MAICON.
Liza’s MAICON presentation was titled, "Practical Use Cases for Insight-Driven Content, Ideation, Analytics, and Personalization." This is a fairly good summary of much of her focus when it comes to AI and marketing: It should be focused on practical uses, and its varied, data-driven, personalized outputs should be filled with deep insights that will provide the CMO with actionable and defensible next steps.
On that point, if you’re not yet following Liza on LinkedIn, you really should be. It’s in her detailed and incisive LinkedIn posts that she frequently demonstrates her keen awareness of how to best use various AI tools for strategic insights, what tools are worth checking out, and more.
Addressing Ethical Concerns
And yet, Liza’s AI focus is not simply on marketing efficiency and insights, as she is deeply passionate about the importance of ethics in AI, believing that marketers must balance innovation with empathy and transparency. "Be an amazing human being first, then an amazing marketer," she advises. By maintaining human values, Liza believes, companies can leverage AI responsibly while building trust with their customers.
Going further, Liza argues that trust is the cornerstone of marketing, and she emphasizes the importance of balancing efficiency with empathy, and automation with the human touch. Additionally, Liza advocates for ethical AI practices that prioritize consumer privacy and data protection, ensuring that technology serves humanity in a positive way.
Supporting the Community – and Her Family
Beyond her professional achievements, Liza is committed to mentoring through initiatives like the Bridge Entrepreneurs Network (BEN Colorado) and the Denver-based Access Mode. BEN Colorado is dedicated to empowering a wide variety of entrepreneurs across the state, while Access Mode is focused on supporting tech founders who are from Black, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities.
Liza says, "It's about giving back to the community,” and it’s clear that she believes just how important that is. Empowering others, sharing her knowledge, experience, and contacts, and fostering a culture of collaboration and growth are all key to what motivates her.
When one speaks with Liza, it’s also clear just how important her family is to her. Given that it’s October, this feels like a good time to share one of her favorite family traditions: making “boxtumes”(Halloween costumes made out of boxes) for her son, Josh. Not only did Liza do this every year for him from the time he was three until he was 10, but the whole Adams family has gotten involved in the act. In fact, they made it onto The Today Show in 2020, and they were finalists another year on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Looking Ahead
As Liza continues to shape the future of marketing with AI, she remains dedicated to her mission of strategic innovation and diversity. Her journey from her acknowledged humble beginnings in the Philippines to becoming a cutting-edge AI influencer on the global stage should serve as an inspiration to many.
"I represent some invisible people out there," she reflects, underscoring her role as a beacon of hope and possibility. Her story is one of hard work, resilience and vision, demonstrating how passion combined with technology can drive meaningful change.
Liza's future plans include expanding her efforts in promoting diversity within the tech industry and advocating for ethical AI practices globally. She aims to continue inspiring others through her work, proving that with determination and vision, anything is possible.
