Karae Lisle (HARVARD MBA 1998) has watched firsthand the struggles of homeless, with a close family member living on the streets and in shelters in Florida, on and off, for years. His personal struggles limited the family’s ability to help, so Lisle, based in Palo Alto, California, placed her hopes in the nonprofits and social services organizations whose staffs had the skills to help, and plotted a different way to give back. 

She was brought aboard to assist San Mateo–based Shelter Network implement a merger with another homelessness service provider, InnVision, in Santa Clara.

In January 2019, Lisle became CEO of Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a nonprofit that offers evaluation, counseling, training, and education for the visually impaired. Like any CEO, she jumped in quickly and learned the challenges the nonprofit faces, immediately identifying an area for growth: technology. “T

Progressive career growth in technology leadership roles; customer facing; software focus. Consistent community service in Board of Director service and other volunteer roles with community and international nonprofits.

Mid-career pivot from tech sector to nonprofit leadership role (ED and CEO); Experience with complex operations, substantial fund raising , combined with sophisticated grant/funding management and compliance- strong fundraiser. Merger experience to form $20M human services organization.