2022 40 Under 40 Winners

Lisa has raised more than $32 million for the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine in the last five years.

She built a fundraising program supporting the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health at UBC – resulting in several $1M+ gifts for this institutional priority. 

Lisa volunteers as a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District 8 Cabinet, and she co-chaired the Opportunity & Inclusion Committee for the 2022 District 8 conference in Vancouver.

In 2019 Lisa won the 'Crowning Achievement' Award for the most Major Gifts closed at UBC – a standout achievement on a very large fundraising team.

I was already working at UBC in philanthropy and looking for my next opportunity and a colleague suggested I explore the Faculty of Medicine as an option - I fell in love with the work from there.

Every person is profoundly impacted by health care and the health of their family and community through their lifetime - I appreciate the opportunity to make a difference in this arena, and especially to activate philanthropy to improve health equity at the community level.

All of my pivots have been as a result of mentorship - someone who took the time to listen, see my strengths, understand what I was looking for, and point me in the direction of the steps that would take me there. The advice from one mentor to join a big organization like UBC or a hospital foundation (to learn best practice) and then the advice to join the UBC Medicine team were key steps in my journey.

I am passionate about fostering equity and justice in health care, and in society at large - I believe that the world is a better place when we are thoughtful and intentional about how power is operating, how we are aligned with power and privilege, and ensuring that we are amplifying voices that need to be heard in order to make a better world. Philanthropy can be mobilized in service of social justice, and I am so proud to have had the opportunity to work with donors who share that vision. It's also a passion that I bring to all of the spaces and roles that I occupy outside of my work - as a parent, as a community advocate, as a friend or family member, and as a citizen.

Rather than immediately trying to persuade donors to support your initiative or priority, seek to understand people's passions and what they want to achieve with their philanthropy. Then, try to find the alignment with your organization's priorities - that is the best way to present the strongest opportunities. Seek mentors, both formal but especially informal - they will be critical to both your learning, and to advocating for your success and opportunities in rooms you're not in.