This past Fall, ESA welcomed our first Chief Growth Officer Lisa Kay—a seasoned leader whose career, she says, has been defined by transformation, collaboration, and vision. With her more than three decades of experience across the environmental and A/E/C industries, Lisa has guided firms to strengthen client partnerships, foster innovation, and work towards a sustainable future, while channeling her expertise in water resources, environmental policy, and infrastructure. We spoke with Lisa about what shaped her career, what inspires her leadership, and why this work matters so deeply to her.
Lisa, we’re so excited that you’ve joined ESA. Can you tell us a bit about where you grew up?
I grew up in California’s Imperial Valley, a place defined by agriculture, hard work, and resilience. It’s also a place that shaped my understanding of environmental impact at a very young age.
My home wasn’t on municipal water. We bathed and brushed our teeth using water from an irrigation canal. Canal water that carried whatever pesticides and fertilizers had been applied to the surrounding fields. Two sides of our house bordered farmland. Crop dusters sprayed overhead. We burned our trash weekly. Across the street from my elementary school, a rendering plant operated once a week. Imperial Valley also has some of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country.
How did this experience shape your perspective and view of the environment?
There’s another important truth in that story: The same activities that contributed to air and water impacts were also the backbone of the local economy. Agriculture sustained families, supported livelihoods, and created opportunities in a region where options were limited. Living in that environment taught me early on that environmental health and economic resilience are deeply intertwined, and that real progress doesn’t come from choosing one over the other, but from finding smarter, more sustainable ways to support both.
So, for me, clean air and clean water have never been abstract ideas or policy concepts. They were part of daily life. Those early experiences ignited my passion for environmental science, public policy, and the belief that good data, sound science, and thoughtful decision-making can materially improve lives and communities.
What continues to inspire and motivate you in your work?
Some of the most rewarding moments of my career have come from working alongside interdisciplinary teams, scientists, planners, engineers, and specialists, designing studies to answer fundamental questions:
- Where is pollution coming from?
- Are conditions improving?
- What actions actually make a difference?
Several of the programs I helped lead years ago are still being implemented today and solutions I worked on are now built and operating. That’s incredibly meaningful to me. It’s a reminder that the work we do doesn’t end when a project closes, it can continue to inform decisions, protect resources, and guide communities well into the future.
That truth that our work has lasting impact is at the heart of why I’m passionate about this industry.
Much of your career has centered on growth and transformation. How do you see that reflected at ESA?
What stood out to me immediately was the depth of expertise across this firm, the diversity of backgrounds and disciplines, and the shared commitment to science, collaboration, and integrity. ESA is a place where people care deeply… about their work, about one another, and about doing the right thing.
I wanted to be part of an organization where growth is not just about scale, but about strength. Strengthening our people, our systems, our client relationships, and our ability to deliver work that truly matters.
