Lisa Benjamin

Lisa Y. Benjamin, CPA, is a partner of Lexicon Strategies, an Atlanta-based consultant firm specializing in public affairs, communications, and strategic consulting engagements for national and international firms. She is the former Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta where she was the highest-ranking public official appointed by Mayor Andre Dickens. She previously led a staff of 8,500 and was responsible for city operations including public safety, transportation, water and sewer, planning, real estate and development, public-private partnerships, capital infrastructure, information technology/AI/Cybersecurity, innovation, and operation of the world’s busiest airport Hartsfield Jackson International. The City has financial oversight for over $11 billion in funds. She served as the Vice Chair of the City’s Pension Investment Board with close to $4 billion in institutional investments. The city won numerous awards during her tenure, including Money Magazine naming the City of Atlanta the Best Place to Live. Financial stewardship led to city reserves exceeding $200 million and Moody’s and Fitch affirmed Aa1 and AA+ bond ratings for its general obligation debt. She is a strategic leader and consensus builder who enjoys working on complex business issues that leverage technology and create opportunities for robust client-focused solutions. She has a strong acumen for complex financial transactions and public-private partnerships and is an advisor to firms developing transformative projects. She has extensive experience working with internal and external auditors including directing the work of the CFO, as well as, serving and chairing finance and oversight committees. Lisa was recently recognized for her leadership by Syracuse University with the Orange Circle Award for distinguished service, 2023 100 Most Influential Women in Georgia Engineering, the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 2021 Power 100 - Most Influential Atlantans, and 2018 Women Who Mean Business. Other noteworthy awards include Atlanta Magazine’s Top 500 Leaders in 2019-2022, and Bisnow magazine’s Top 40 most influential women in commercial real estate. Lisa has a graduate degree from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, is a Georgetown University alum, and received her second master’s degree from Nova Southeastern in Accounting. She is an avid golfer who lives in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys spending time with her family.