Lisa Grills is a nonprofit professional who has served the YWCA movement at a local and national level since 2005. She supports the network as a thought partner in governance, leadership, and sustainability. With an exceptional background in crisis management, Lisa led a capacity building team, embodying persistence and drive desperately needed throughout the COVID pandemic.
Prior to her position at YWCA USA, Lisa served as the Executive Director of YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region. There, she accomplished a relaunch to a sustainable, mission-based association, ushering in innovative programs such as Bridges Out of Poverty. She co-authored The Economic Status of Women in the Great Lakes Region; a data driven report, to reveal race and gender inequities in the community. In the following years she completed poverty supplementals to guide the work of YWCA GLBR. In 2015, she was honored with the esteemed Athena Award for her work in women’s economic empowerment. She holds a bachelor’s in social work, and master’s in public administration from Saginaw Valley State University. Lisa is the proud mom of four grown children and resides in California with her husband.