At LSU, Elise earned a BA in fine arts and art history and a MA in art history with a concentration in the Italian Renaissance. After graduation, she went to Italy to do advanced studies in fine art restoration and conservation, earning degrees from: L’Universita Internazionale dell’Arte e Restauro, the Associazione Intercommunale Fiorentina. She presently holds a part-time faculty position at Florence's’Istituto per L’Arte e Restauro.
After completing her studies in Florence she worked as a conservator for two of the most prestigious conservation firms in Florence before forming her own company, Grenier Conservation. Projects that she has worked on in Italy include: six years in the Cathedral of Florence, the Pandolfini Chapel at the Badia Fiorentina, Villa Mansi, Salone di Tofanelli, Lucca, Gondi Palace, Florence, Villa Torrigiani, Florence, and many more.
While most of her work has taken place in Italy, she has found time in recent years to complete a number of projects in the United States. Her work in Louisiana includes the restoration of: the 700 square-foot Conrad Albrizo fresco mural at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, the two fresco cycles in Allen Hall at LSU, the decorative paintings at Whitney Plantation in St. John the Baptist parish by Canova, the mural at Bagatelle Plantation in St. James Parish, and the statues at Mount St. Carmel in St. Francisville.
Recent preservation work includes an intensive evaluation of mural paintings at The Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, the frescos in the Church of St. Alphonsus in New Orleans, and at the State Capital Annex in Baton Rouge.