Lisa Parrott is CEO of Miracle Foundation, a leading non-profit organization empowering orphans and vulnerable children to reach their full potential. She guides Miracle Foundation’s efforts to scale evidence-based solutions that ensure all children grow up in safe, stable, and loving family care.
Lisa has spent her career working alongside children, families, and communities to create lasting social change. She has led programs that build pathways out of poverty, improve access to health care and education, and prevent violence against children. She brings international experience spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean with leading organizations: Save the Children, the U.S. Peace Corps, Freedom from Hunger (now part of Grameen Foundation), and MicroSave. Her deep knowledge of contexts, cultures, and government systems supports Miracle Foundation and its partners as they work to advance family-based care for children in the U.S. and around the world.
No stranger to innovation, Lisa contributed to early initiatives such as M-PESA, a mobile money solution developed in Kenya; Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) models to build resilience across Africa and Asia; and the Household Economy Approach (HEA), now widely used in global food-security systems. At Miracle Foundation, she is focused on expanding ThriveScale and the ThriveWell application so that more children and families have the tools and support they need to thrive. She enjoys exploring how the child-care ecosystem is evolving and how smarter collaboration can deliver stronger programs and greater impact for children.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Lisa brings both private and public sector perspectives to her work. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration and Policy. Conversational in French and Swahili, Lisa loves running, traveling, and exploring gardens in equal measure. She’s happiest with a morning cup of coffee and time with her daughter, especially when there’s sunshine and a beach nearby.