Lisa O’Brien

Lisa O’Brien brings more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience to The Compass Group, with expertise in fundraising strategy, revenue diversification, content strategy, and philanthropic communications. Her work bridges development and communications, helping nonprofit teams run campaigns that engage donors, tell compelling stories, and exceed their goals.

Previously, Lisa served as Chief Advancement Officer at KID Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, where she led development, marketing, and communications as a unified team and directed fundraising strategy across corporations, foundations, and individual giving. Under her leadership, the museum secured multi-year major gifts and expanded corporate partnerships, attracting significant new funding from national sponsors.

Lisa’s executive leadership experience also includes serving as Founding Executive Director of the Scratch Foundation, building the organization from the ground up and establishing the operational, fundraising, and communications infrastructure to support growth and scale. She built a culture of philanthropy and developed a diversified base of individual donors and corporate sponsors to strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Drawing on her experience as a Chief Advancement Officer and Founding Executive Director, Lisa brings a practical, leadership-informed perspective to her consulting work. Prior to joining Compass, she worked as an independent consultant, partnering with nonprofit organizations across education, human services, and youth development to translate strategic plans into actionable fundraising strategies, strengthen fundraising capacity, and develop the systems, processes, and leadership capacity needed for sustained growth.

Lisa holds a Master of Arts from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University.