Lissa Mariel Southerland is an executive leader, advocate, author, entrepreneur, wife, mother, whose life reflects a commitment to leadership, service, family, and purpose.
Professionally, Lissa serves as Chief Operating Officer of Rising Ground, one of New York’s leading human services organizations. In her role, she provides executive leadership across key organizational functions and helps advance the systems, strategies, and infrastructure that support thousands of employees and strengthen services for more than 35,000+ New Yorkers each year.
Beyond the boardroom, Lissa is the founder of Athletes Are Human, a growing platform dedicated to changing the conversation around student-athlete mental health and reminding the world that behind every jersey, statistic, scholarship, and performance is a human being. Inspired by nearly two decades of experience raising a student-athlete, she advocates for healthier environments for athletes and greater awareness among parents, coaches, programs, and communities.
Lissa is also an children’s book author, content creator, entrepreneur, and proud mother whose family remains at the center of everything she does. Whether leading an multi-million dollar non-profit organization, supporting her children, advocating for athletes, or building her next venture, Lissa believes success is most meaningful when it creates opportunities to positively impact others.
Her philosophy is simple: lead with purpose, live fully, and never forget the human behind the title.
Industry: My primary focus is human services and social impact, with an emphasis on organizational innovation, technology, workforce development, and data-driven strategies that improve how organizations serve people and communities. As a nonprofit COO, I am particularly interested in using AI, data analytics, operational transformation, and innovative service-delivery models to strengthen organizational effectiveness and expand impact.
I also focus on innovation in student-athlete wellness through Athletes Are Human, particularly solutions that support mental health, education, advocacy, and healthier environments for athletes and their families.
Why I’m excited to be part of WIN Awards: “Innovation matters most when it makes life better for people.”
— Lissa Southerland
