Elizabeth Sutherland

Liz Sutherland grew up with no identity. She has no memory of the first few years of her life, outside of being dropped off at a stranger's house when she was a child. Liz and her siblings lived in an abusive home with a woman they were told was their grandmother until Liz gathered the courage to call social services to rescue herself and her siblings. Thrust into the foster care system, she learned to survive but never gave up hope that she might someday be reunited with her brother and sister and discover the truth about her identity. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, she graduated from Western Carolina University with degrees in Computer Information Systems & Criminal Justice. She now works in Tampa and is a frequent speaker for organizations such as the Women of Compassion Forum, 4Kids, and the Junior League of Tampa Bay. She was featured in the book Growing Up In The Care of Strangers and is the author of No Ordinary Liz, a memoir chronicling her incredible life story. You can read more about her experience in foster care and her search for her family on her blog noordinaryliz.com.