Lisha B. Smith

PRINCIPAL

Areas of Expertise :

Lisha B. Smith is a Principal for HC2 Strategies and the President & CEO of LB SMITH & TEAM INC, a boutique consulting firm that supports clients who want to improve the overall health of our communities.

Lisha combines trusted relationships, servant leadership, and connection with her experience in the communications, public affairs, community and government relations spheres to bring people together to
“help build the bridges” that lead to change.

She currently works with Webb Family Enterprise, Inc. (WFE), collaborating with Black-led organizations and allies to create access to power and wealth in the Inland Empire. Convening groups through WFE’s Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement (CEEM), Lisha is helping the coalition drive innovative strategies and solutions to achieve parity for the region’s Black community.

As Deputy Chief of Staff to former San Bernardino County Board of Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Lisha advised on policy matters related to county public health services, First 5 San Bernardino, IEHP, and air quality issues.
She also facilitated the Supervisor’s effective engagement with nonprofits, faith-based community groups,
and constituents.

While leading the South Coast Air Quality Management District Legislative and Public Affairs Office, Lisha and her team initiated innovative programs to help underserved residents advocate for their right to breathe clean air and live in healthy, sustainable communities. Three annual programs, aligning civil rights and environmental justice, launched during her tenure. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day of Service Forum started in 2013, the Cesar Chavez Day of Remembrance in 2014, and the Environmental Justice Community Partnership in 2015, continue to impact Southland communities.

Lisha earned her M.S. in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne and her B.A. in English from Spelman College. On the other side of life, she loves reading, writing, and road trips with her husband, Fred.
She also practices constraint daily by not sending too many “just thinking of you” text messages to her adult son, Jordan.