Liza made her first appearance in 1981 as a snobbish upper-class teenager from one of Pine Valley's wealthiest families, with a crush on upper-class classmate Greg Nelson. However, Greg's heart belonged to Jenny Gardner, a warm-hearted working-class girl. Liza engaged in numerous schemes to steal Greg from Jenny. Her two most heinous acts as a teenager occurred at about the same time. Liza blackmailed Jenny, threatening to reveal to Greg that Jenny's father, Ray Gardner was a convict who had raped Ruth Martin years earlier. After Jenny's best friend Jesse Hubbard confronted her, Liza falsely accused him of attempted rape, subtly using old stereotypes about black men and White women as a means of making her story seem credible. With Jenny humiliated and Jesse eager to avoid arrest, the two fled to the Hell's Kitchen section of New York City, where they remained for weeks until Liza's accusations against Jesse were discredited.

Liza made a triumphant return to Pine Valley in September 1995. Now a strong career woman, Liza got revenge on Tad by seducing him into bed, breaking up his marriage to Dixie Cooney. Liza then moved on to Jake Martin, Tad's adopted brother. Liza then found herself in a strange predicament when she got pregnant with what she thought was Jake's baby. It turned out to be Adam Chandler's child, for he had switched Jake's sperm at the sperm bank with his. In May 1999, Liza gave birth to her daughter, Colby Marian Chandler, and eventually fell for Adam and married him. However, Adam's controlling nature and penchant for lying led to their divorce, remarrying and divorce.

Liza got the shock of her life in 2001, when Mia Saunders revealed herself to be her half-sister. Eventually, Liza and Mia formed a sisterly bond and Liza even financed the money to upstart Fusion, the new cosmetics company that Mia co-founded in late 2002 with Greenlee Smythe, Kendall Hart, and Simone Torres. In late 2004, Liza, with Tad's help, went on the run with Colby in tow. Her last appearance was in early 2005. However, Colby eventually returned (rapidly aged to her teenaged years) to Pine Valley to live with Adam. Initially, she has exhibited all of Liza's worst character traits from the '80s, including consistent spoiled behavior, and a false statutory rape allegation against Erica Kane's son Josh Madden. However, Colby has put most of such behavior behind her, and has recently emerged as a more sympathetic character.

During the week of Stuart's murder mystery (May 2009), it is revealed that Liza is six months pregnant. Liza admits to Zach Slater that she is not pregnant, but that she is expecting a child through a surrogate. She does not want anyone to know that she is not really pregnant, and asks Zach to keep her secret. While talking to Amanda and she seems she plans on adopting Amanda's baby boy and not tell anyone about it with the help of Jake Martin. Jake plans to help Liza, because she wants to adopt Amanda's baby boy and not tell anyone about it. In the week of June 29, Jake helped Liza "pretend" to give birth to a healthy baby boy with the help of Tad Martin. The viewers think that Liza has the baby. Then they find out that Jake didn't really give Liza Amanda's baby. Liza names her son after her step-father. He gives her a baby which is put for adoption. Placing Amanda's baby to be given to a family in the country. Until Taylor takes care of him, under the alias Tracy.

On December 17, 2010, Liza became the advocate for David Hayward (who is still in a coma). Slowly realizing that her taking Erica to court is unjustified, Liza finally drops the charges after a discussion with Tad.