Her Story
About Lisa
I actually started my career in PR and communications, but once I made the left-field turn into operations, I quickly learned that I'd much rather fix things than spin things. I'm really good at anticipating the future--that's what decades of experience gets you--working backwards to make smart, strategic choices, and to anticipate where problems might arise and work towards eliminating them. Working at the cutting edge of e-commerce at Priceline.com really honed that skill in me, because that role was all about process and efficiency at scale.
Beyond my role at Travelzoo, I've made it a priority to invest my time and talents back into the communities and industries that shaped me, through board work, speaking engagements, and showing up in rooms where my perspective might help move something forward. I serve as Co-Chair of the Execs In The Know Corporate Advisory Board, one of the most respected peer communities in CX, an advisor on content strategy to SOCAP International, the customer service industry’s oldest membership association, and am a founding advisory board member of Women Leading Travel, a Skift organization. I'm a frequent speaker on customer experience and leadership and publish regularly on LinkedIn, having built my reputation on being a person who speaks the truth.
In this decade of my career, I've made a shift from seeking approval to seeking impact. I'm committed to using my platform to lift women up--that's my core definition of impact. I founded Travelzoo's first employee resource group in 2029, the Women's Inspirit Network, serve as executive sponsor of the company's diversity, inclusion and belonging teams, and model leadership and respect through my mentorship of young women.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lisa
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success is entirely dependent on my team, a tight-knit team of very talented people, fully committed to our company and each other. Our collective success has led to our work being recognized externally, including multiple Gold Stevie Awards for customer service wins, a two-time British Travel Awards honoree, and a People's Choice Stevie recipient for Favorite Customer Service. In 2024, I was named a Women Leading Travel & Hospitality honoree, and in 2025 was recognized in its Women Over 50 cohort, an honor I hold close, because I genuinely believe that where I am now, with the freedom to lead with full conviction, is the culmination of everything I've built.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I wish I had received more and better advice from very early on, I could have avoided so many mistakes. That's why I give advice freely, especially to young women. My best advice is to stand up, speak up, and be the one. I firmly believe you can lead the change you want to see, and change can happen from the bottom up when you have champions who are willing to stand up and do what's right, even when it's risky or inconvenient.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to every woman coming up is to build your network now and invest in those relationships fiercely. You're going to need them, and they're going to need you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
We were hired to drive business results. But leadership today carries a weight it was never designed to hold. We've inadvertently become therapists, conflict mediators, and emotional shock absorbers for every political, social, and economic pressure our teams are feeling, while quietly carrying those same burdens ourselves. The strongest leaders, the ones who will make the difference, are those who accept that reality, invest in themselves, and show up better prepared to lead people through it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I spend most of my time trying to make the lives of the people around me better. I realized I have the power to create the change I want to see, and this clarity has allowed me to create space for others, especially women, to bring their whole selves to work. It's how I show up every day, whether in my volunteerism roles shaping the future of the customer experience industry or inside my business.
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