lisa_headshotLisa Matthews is the Chief Grants Officer at NCoC. Prior to this role she serves as Program Director supporting the Board of Directors and staff in advancing the Civic Health Initiative and its Civic Health Index (CHI) program.  Additionally, Lisa provides support to the Annual Conference on Citizenship and year round activity designed to advance the NCoC mission of Strengthening Civic Life in America.  CHI partnership development is a significant focus of her work.  Based on the belief that every person has the ability to help their community and country thrive, Lisa’s outreach intends to aid those conducting research in utilizing civic health data as a tool for developing recommendations designed to engage residents in strengthening civic life with the goal of addressing issues of concern in their communities. She understands that collaboration is key to building stronger and more resilient communities. NCoC’s Civic Renewal Initiative guides her efforts.  As shown by her years of dedicated public service, Lisa’s passion is aligned with NCoC’s mission to strengthen communities across America.

Prior to coming to NCoC, Lisa served as Program Assistant at the Corporation for National and Community Service where she supported the Research and Evaluation team in advancing the mission of the Corporation by creating a system to manage the volume of evidence-based research reports posted on R&E’s Evidence Exchange site.  Lisa’s primary responsibility with the R&E team was to apply technical requirements to create accessible PDF documents according to section 508 Compliance standards.

In addition to more than 20 years of experience as a research analyst for a nonprofit association, Lisa is a volunteer at the local, state and national levels focused on issues related to empowering individuals with disabilities, capacity building and economic development.  Some of her contributions in the community include the launch of a job readiness program, co-founder of a newsletter representing families of loved ones with autism, coordinator for a peer-to-peer fitness program to empower youth with disabilities and organizing fundraising activities to benefit families.

Lisa was recently appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve as Chair of the DC Developmental Disabilities Council.  Additionally, she serves on Quality Trust’s Program and Policy Committee and is the DC representative to the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN).  Lisa is a member of the DC Autism Society and serves on the National Black MBA Association – DC Chapter (DCBMBAA) Grants Committee.