Lisa Nelson’s career path is a testament to her passion for fusing corporate expertise with social impact. Since her student days at UC Davis studying Community Development (2003), Lisa has strategically leveraged her strong background in finance to assist communities.

From Vision to Action:

2003: Lisa’s academic journey ignited a fire. Fueled by a desire to make a difference, she embarked on a Master’s in Community Development at UC Davis. This wasn’t just theoretical; in the same year, she co-founded Alchemist CDC in Sacramento, California. Alchemist’s mission is to be a catalyst for positive community change.

2004-2022: Alchemist’s journey mirrored Lisa’s own growth. In 2022, their dedication paid off – they started their first real estate project, reaching a significant milestone of over $1 million in revenue.

Building Expertise & Sharing Knowledge:

2006: While leading Alchemist, Lisa honed her leadership skills and gained invaluable experience in affordable housing development. She joined Mutual Housing California (MHC) as CFO, overseeing finance, accounting, and operations. Here, she collaborated with industry colleagues, constantly refining best practices.

2014: Lisa’s desire to help others in the affordable housing space led her to found Focus & Flow. This venture combined her unique skillset to offer strategic planning and financial analysis services specifically tailored to the housing industry.

Focus & Flow’s Impact:

• Over 50 Clients Served: Focus & Flow has become a trusted partner for numerous organizations, with a significant impact on NeighborWorks America affiliates. Lisa’s unique background bridges the gap between finance and social good.
• A solid foundation in business (Bachelor’s of Business Administration from University of Michigan) with a focus on applying best practices to nonprofits.
• Seasoned experience in international corporate finance at a major tech company.
• Hands-on understanding of community development.
• Proven leadership as CFO at Mutual Housing California.
• A decade of success guiding Focus & Flow.

The Road Ahead:

Lisa’s commitment to empowering social enterprises continues. She’s dedicated to reaching more housing developers with Focus & Flow’s Social Enterprise Strategic Planning method, equipping them with best practices in project management and business intelligence reporting to achieve lasting success. Our proprietary platform, Flowgistics™ encapsulates and automates her perspective on business intelligence.