Lisa Smith, Executive Director, Washington State Microenterprise Association
Lisa Smith is the Executive Director of the Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) that provides grants, capacity building, technical assistance, and networking support for Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) in Washington state. Over the last 30 years, Lisa has collaborated with policy, lending, tribal, sustainability, workforce/economic development, and social service partners around the country. She believes in the power of business ownership as a way to boost Washington’s economy, especially through strengthening marginalized and rural communities, growing regenerative enterprises, and developing good policy. Her research and/or writing has been published in Consumer Reports, Scholastic Magazine, and the American Journal of Public Health.