About Marisa

Marisa Renee Lee is the founder and CEO of Beacon Advisors, which she established after leaving President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance), with the purpose of empowering a variety of institutions on matters of organizational development and growth, public-private partnership strategies, and operational efficiency.  Until 2017 Marisa served as the Managing Director of MBK Alliance, the nonprofit born out of President Obama's call to action to address the barriers to success that boys and young men of color disproportionately face along the life path. Through her work with MBK Alliance, Marisa led a collaborative, cross-sectoral movement that united business, philanthropy, nonprofit, and community leaders, to increase pathways of opportunity for young men of color. 

In 2010, Marisa joined the Obama Administration first as an appointee at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and later joined the White House Domestic Policy Council and the White House Office of Public Engagement where she ultimately served as President Obama’s Deputy Director of Private Sector Engagement. During her time in the administration Marisa focused on a variety of issues including entrepreneurship and access to capital in underserved communities, implementation of the Small Business Jobs Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and developed a variety of public-private partnerships with the business community on behalf of President Obama. 

Marisa began her career at Brown Brothers Harriman as an Associate in the Commodities banking group. In 2007, while working at Brown Brothers, Marisa founded The Pink Agenda, a breast cancer non-profit, in honor of her mother Lisa. Over a decade later, The Pink Agenda remains a national organization of young professionals committed to raising money for breast cancer research and direct care service programs in partnership with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 

In 2016, Marisa was recognized in the Chronicle of Philanthropy 40 Under 40 as a “Rabble Rouser for Obama.” In 2017 she was named a member of the Ebony Power 100 amongst other Community Crusaders she greatly admires.  In 2018 she was a contributing author to the book Modern Loss, a series of candid stories and illustrations on grief.  In addition, she has been a featured speaker at several forums including SXSW and has appeared on CNN and MSNBC. Marisa has also written op-eds on race, opportunity, economic mobility, and grief for CNN, Vogue, Glamour Magazine, Refinery29, The Grio, Bustle, Thrive, Philanthropy News Digest, Option B, News One, and a host of other outlets. 

Marisa Renee Lee is a graduate of Harvard College and an avid Green Bay Packers fan.  She resides in the DC area with her husband Matt and their dog Sadie.