Meet Lisa Lebovitz | Relationship Builder | Community Connector

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Lebovitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what do you want people to remember about you?
I want to be remembered as kind and gracious. My grandmother used to tell me you lose nothing by being gracious, and it really stuck with me. Also, I am really proud that I am a lifelong Girl Scout; one of the Girl Scout mottos is to leave a place better than you found it. That’s also become a motto for me personally and professionally. It’s one of the reasons working in nonprofits has been so empowering to me. I get to leave this world better than I found it through the work I do as a professional with CHRIS 180 and as a volunteer through the American Jewish Committee and Jewish Fertility Foundation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My career in nonprofit work started when I was working in hospitality out of state, but I knew I wanted to move to Atlanta, and I was open to changing careers. Through a connection, I ended up working at a faith-based nonprofit running programs that brought young families together to help them build community. It was a lot of fun, and the families were so kind (I’m still in touch with many of them), but my favorite part of the job was fundraising, which wasn’t even supposed to be part of the job at the time. I was lucky to work with folks in senior positions who believed in me, invested in my growth, and encouraged me. Those same folks are my mentors today.

I’ve worked in nonprofits for about a decade, and my path has not been straight, nor has it been easy. I’ve found that seems to be the case for most people, regardless of their industry, and I hope someone reads this and understands that if they’re going through a rough patch in their career, they are part of the majority and not alone. It’s hard to have faith in those times but lean on your people, your community, and let them help you through it.

One of the things I learned along the way was that when I look back, I have to accept that I made the best decision I could at the time with the information given. Hindsight is 20/20 for a reason – you have more clarity and more context when you are reviewing a past decision, but in that moment when you have to make a difficult decision, you do your best and then move forward.

I feel blessed that I currently work at CHRIS 180 and am thankful to be part of a mission changing the lives of youth and empowering them for their futures. We are helping children and families through some of their most difficult times; I can’t imagine doing more impactful or more meaningful work healing and building community. Everything CHRIS 180 does is through a lens of providing trauma-informed care. We take into consideration what a person has been through that has led them to be the person they are today and provide them with services and opportunities to tap into community that help them change their life themselves long-term.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the diversity of Atlanta so when I have visitors, I make sure to show them a little bit of everything. Every day we’ll eat at restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world and check out a new part of town. There are adorable neighborhoods and amazing restaurants all over town – way too many to list here, but some of my favorite spots are Little Bangkok, Abol, RUCHI, Canton House, and Sweet Hut.

I’d also take them to one Atlanta’s many parks or on a day trip to the North Georgia mountains for a hike followed by a vineyard stop. We have an incredibly green city, and the mountains are so accessible. No other major city is as green as Atlanta, and I love it. I’d make sure to drop in a museum day with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the High Museum. Another day I might take them to the Botanical Gardens, Piedmont Park, and Midtown. No matter what they’re interested in, Atlanta has them covered!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people have helped me get to where I am today. I am blessed with a bench of amazing past supervisors who have become mentors – Stephanie Wyatt, Kenny Silverboard, and Elizabeth Goldberg – whom without their support and guidance I would have failed harder and more often. I’m also grateful to my parents for modeling what it means to be community leaders and inspiring and encouraging my own involvement over the years.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisalebovitz/

Image Credits
Lily Hannah Photography