Lisa McGill is the principal and founder of LM Strategies Consulting, a philanthropy consulting firm in Illinois. With her tactical approach to community building, McGill is known for helping clients design initiatives that work at the intersection of strategic planning, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and the realities of on-the-ground implementation. She has consulted on projects for foundations, philanthropy-serving organizations, and public/private partnerships to drive social change. Her content expertise includes leadership and pipeline development, community philanthropy, and increasing opportunities for historically resilient communities. She’s also known for her efforts to convene people in efficient learning communities, where she curates their conversations and skill-building around philanthropic strategies with a focus on equity.
Her clients have included the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, among others. She’s worked with several community foundations in places as diverse as New Haven, New Mexico, and Hampton Roads, Virginia. Most recently, she has co-led strategic planning processes for community foundations in Aspen, Southwestern Washington, Spartanburg County, and Northern Virginia. She has also worked with philanthropy-serving organizations and networks such as Community Foundation Opportunity Network, Independent Sector, Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), ABFE, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE), and CFLeads. She is currently a board member of 21/64 and on the advisory committee of Philanthropy Together. McGill earned a bachelor’s degree in English modified with Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree of arts and a master’s degree of philosophy in American Studies from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.
