Mia Elizardi

Mia Elizardi has spent two decades building the people, teams, and organizations that make leadership actually work and is now turning that practitioner’s eye into doctoral research on why seasoned leaders must unlearn as much as they learn to lead through complexity.

As an adjunct faculty member for executive education at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, Mia designs and delivers leadership development experiences for working professionals navigating the real demands of enterprise and global leadership. She brings the same rigor to the classroom that she brings to her own consulting practice: translating research-backed models of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and team effectiveness into tools leaders can use the next day.

Across more than 20 years in Talent Development and People Operations, Mia has led and advised organizations spanning startups, higher education, nonprofits, healthcare, technology, municipalities, and veterinary medicine. She has built her career at the intersection of strategy and execution as a founder, operator, coach, and consultant who knows what it takes to align people, process, and purpose inside organizations under real pressure to grow.

As Principal and Founder of Waypoint Labs, Mia brings scientifically grounded leadership development to everyday leaders, distributing Insights assessments and consulting on culture, team effectiveness, and strategic alignment. She has co-founded and scaled two human capital companies, and her entrepreneurial track record reflects the same belief that drives her teaching: leadership development only matters if it changes what people actually do.

Mia is currently completing her doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Performance, and Change at Colorado State University, where her research centers on unlearning as a leadership development intervention. She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Denver, with a focus on diversity, adult learning, and conflict resolution, and bachelor’s degrees in human communication and human development from Arizona State University. She is a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP), a Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), a certified ScrumMaster, and a certified mediator

Education

• Masters in Higher Education with a focus in Diversity and Adult Learning and Conflict Resolution
• Bachelor's in Communication and Human Development from Arizona State University