LISA RUBIN

Raised by two public school educators in suburban Los Angeles, Lisa recalled always having a strong sense of social justice. She was taught to recognize and develop her own strengths while maintaining awareness of the advantages she had been given in life.

With an interest in how governments and other institutions worked, particularly how people function within them, she attended Stanford to study political science as an undergraduate, then received her Master's degree in Organizational Behavior.

Working as an aide on Capitol Hill, first for Senator Dianne Feinstein and later for Representative Nita Lowey, her interests were in advancing issues related to women's health and autonomy, which she viewed as cornerstones of equality.

After working on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, she decided to become a lawyer for victims of gender-based violence and graduated from Yale Law School. However, facing significant student loan debt, she joined a prestigious corporate law firm with the intention of staying only two years. That turned into more than a decade as she became skilled at securities litigation and commercial law, though she found herself increasingly disconnected from her original mission.

Skilled at appraising other people's cultural and creative assets and how they can be used for change, she eventually left corporate law in 2018 to devote her time to a career in public service that aligned with her values.