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Elizabeth “Liz” Rooks

Elizabeth H. Rooks serves as Interim President and CEO of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, manager and developer of The Research Triangle Park. The Park enjoys an extraordinary 50+ year history as the leading and largest high-technology park in North America, covering 7,000 total acres. Today, the Park is host to more than 170 organizations. Prior to being named Interim President and CEO, Ms. Rooks served as Executive Vice President and COO for the Foundation. In this capacity, Ms. Rooks is responsible for short and long range planning and development as well as operational management of the Park. During Ms. Rooks’ tenure, the Foundation has sold over 1,700 acres of land and developed over seven million square feet of occupied space. She has played a pivotal role in supervising and coordinating design, engineering and construction projects in the Park; identifying sites for prospective companies and assisting with permitting and approval processes; coordinating with public agencies for infrastructure construction; and working with surrounding local governments and state agencies on matters affecting The Research Triangle Park. Prior to joining the Research Triangle Foundation in 1989, Ms. Rooks was an Assistant Director for the Durham City-County Planning Department and worked for nine years in the Chapel Hill Planning Department. Ms. Rooks holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in city planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.