Our Team

Lauren McGowan is a social impact leader with two decades of experience leading high impact teams to scale effective solutions to homelessness and poverty. Her personal and professional experiences have helped shape a relentless drive to fight poverty and a fierce commitment to equity and justice.

Lauren spent 17 years with United Way of King County designing initiatives to increase access to housing, food, higher education, and income for 35,000 people annually by leveraging the power and potential of philanthropic, community, and government resources. In response to the pandemic, she raised more than $100M in public and private funds to help neighbors have access to food and housing. In 2022 Lauren launched Revolution Strategies, a consulting firm that advances equitable solutions to end poverty.

Lauren is on the Board of the Housing Development Consortium and Seattle Colleges Foundation, a member of the 2023 Emerge WA class, and serves on advisory boards for several organizations advancing access to health, education, housing, and income.

AJ Cari is a Senior Program Officer at LISC Puget Sound and leads its Housing Equity Accelerator program. AJ has always been driven to serve his community in ways that create access to opportunities, reduce barriers and ultimately uplift neighborhoods as diverse and thriving places to live, work and play. AJ brings to LISC a wealth of experience in community and economic development including affordable housing, new markets tax credits, finance and small business support.

As an affordable housing developer at Beacon Development Group, he worked with housing providers across the state of Washington to bring housing projects from inception to operations. He developed more than $130M in projects that ranged from rural and farm worker housing to historic rehab, serving families, veterans and formerly homeless individuals.  At the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development, as a Small Business Finance Advisor and Asset Manager, he managed the city’s NMTC and HUD 108 programs, overseeing a portfolio of more than 15 projects worth over $300M, as well as the allocation of $28M of NMTC leveraging a total of $100M in community development projects. Additionally, as a Small Business Advocate AJ provided support and technical assistance to small businesses. He created a bilingual resource center to help small businesses, especially those that have been marginalized and underserved, access and navigate the full spectrum of complex recovery resources from private, local, state and federal agencies. 

AJ graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s in geography and master’s in urban planning. AJ is looking forward to bringing the full breadth of his experience in establishing and strengthening the presence of LISC Puget Sound.  In his free time, AJ enjoys spending time with his family in the mountains, rivers in the beautiful PNW.

Tina has spent 20+ years working in community and economic development, working both for community-based organizations and local government. Her experience includes small business and affordable housing finance, workforce development, program and policy development, and community engagement. Tina has also worked in the health arena, with Washington’s global health community and health equity impact investing.

Tina’s roles have included serving as Chief Operating Officer at the Washington Global Health Alliance, Deputy Director for the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and Senior Business Lender at Craft3. She received her MBA from Washington University and her undergraduate training in Russian and Eastern European Studies, from University of Illinois.

Tina is excited to be working to increase equitable economic opportunities and well-being in Puget Sound. She will support the development of LISC Puget Sound’s strategic direction and champion its programs. Tina is mom to two daughters, Beatrice and Violet, and one fur baby, Maizy. She is passionate about hiking and gardening in the Pacific Northwest.

Michael is an accomplished community development professional based in Seattle, WA. He joined LISC Puget Sound as a Senior Program Officer in May 2024, and brings a wealth of expertise and passion to the team. His extensive experience includes a significant role in the City of Seattle's Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), where he championed equitable development practices and supported underserved communities. Michael's career also includes key positions at Impact Capital, Common Ground, Plymouth Housing Group, and the Low Income Housing Institute, where he developed his skills in financial analysis, strategic planning, and project management. Holding an MBA from the University of Redlands and a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington, Michael excels in event planning, grants management, research, and program management. He is dedicated to advancing equitable development and supporting community initiatives.

Olivia spent 10 years working with federal organizations: as a trail maintenance worker at Joshua Tree National Park, an aircraft mechanic in the US Navy in Washington and Japan, and an administrative assistant at the US Geological Survey.

Olivia recently graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Business and Supply Chain Management. LISC Puget Sound is her introduction into the world of economic and community development, but she hopes to apply her diverse experiences in her role as an Assistant Program Officer.

Olivia is excited to begin her career with LISC Puget Sound and have a positive impact on the community. In the beautiful PNW summer months, she enjoys hiking and tidepooling; otherwise, she prefers to stay inside with a nice book, hot tea, and her cat, Asta.

A native of Washington, Alyssa has always felt deeply connected to her community. Following five years in the service industry as a bartender and server, she recently embarked on a new path driven by her passion for making a meaningful impact in her community.

As a recent graduate of the Year Up program with a specialization in Project Management, Alyssa has acquired valuable skills and knowledge that she is eager to apply to serve her community in a more impactful capacity. Her experiences have instilled in her the importance of compassion, patience, and understanding, qualities she strives to bring to every interaction.

Alyssa is excited about working with LISC Puget Sound, leveraging her skills and dedication to create meaningful change and support the needs of her community. When Alyssa is not working, she treasures spending time with her family and friends, especially during the summer when they embark on their annual family camping trip.

Originally from Vietnam, Minh came to the US nearly a decade ago to pursue higher education. She has gained diverse work experiences, which include roles as a front desk and administrative staff at Seattle Central College, a banking customer representative at Bank of America, and a legal assistant at Ho & Associates.

Minh recently completed the intensive learning and development sector at Year Up, further solidifying her skills and propelling towards a career in the non-profit sector. She's eager to leverage her adaptability and prior experiences at LISC Puget Sound, where she will embark on a 6-month internship.

When not exploring the city's latest new restaurants, she enjoys the company of her newly adopted cat, Growey. Minh is thrilled to begin her journey in the non-profit world and looks forward to contributing her skills and enthusiasm to the LISC mission.