Lisa Richter doesn’t do idle. With a career spanning five decades in market research, community engagement, and strategic consulting, she has built a professional life on the foundation of relentless curiosity and the drive to understand what makes people tick.
“I’ve always been interested in understanding the world and its diverse populations—how history has brought us to where we are today.” That curiosity shaped a long and accomplished career, where she has helped many organizations—from private companies to government entities—grasp how their stakeholders think, what they need, and what changes are necessary to stay relevant.
Her work has impacted industries across the board. Whether advising a medical school on physician recruitment, conducting large-scale visitor experience studies for Explore St. Louis, or tackling community issues like public transit use, Lisa’s expertise lies in uncovering the “why” behind people’s actions. But that’s only part of the equation. Her role is not just to present the data—it’s to make sure organizations actually do something with it. “A lot of my life has been trying to explain the value of doing this kind of research. It costs money, and then they have to act on it. And acting means change. And change is hard."
Lisa’s work is grounded in practical application. For her, research isn't just about numbers—it’s about making sense of them in a way that compels action. She’s been a long-time advocate for integrating storytelling with data, a skill that makes insights more accessible and harder to ignore. “You have to inject storytelling. People get lost in the numbers. You have to find the big picture—what’s the challenge we’re trying to solve and what do we do next?”
That philosophy has shaped her work with clients like the St. Louis Regional Chamber, where she led a project aimed at understanding how to retain young professionals in the area. The findings? Public transportation and racial segregation were two major deterrents, observations that stood out starkly to the out-of-state students she interviewed. Lisa connects these insights back to the larger social and economic shifts happening in St. Louis, tying her work to broader issues of equity and community development.
Her commitment to community impact isn’t confined to her work in market research. Lisa has been actively involved in civic organizations, including serving on the St. Louis Board of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also dedicates her time to social justice initiatives, including advocacy for addressing homelessness in her neighborhood. For Lisa, making an impact isn’t a theoretical exercise—it’s a responsibility.
Lisa is not slowing down. If anything, she’s accelerating. “During COVID, I made a promise to myself to learn one new technology and meet one new person a day.” She sees this as a necessity. “Your world shrinks if you stop learning. It’s easy to get disconnected. Unless you keep meeting new people, you’re going to stay where you were while the world races ahead.”
She applies that same energy to her personal life. Her three main hobbies—work, exercise, and piano—reflect her commitment to growth, discipline, and self-improvement. A lifelong fitness enthusiast, she has prioritized exercise since her early 20s, not just for physical health, but for mental clarity and resilience. Her dedication to piano, which she has studied off and on for 25 years, serves as a counterbalance to the analytical nature of her work.
Lisa Richter is a force. Determined, sharp, and unwilling to sit still, she continues to shape conversations, challenge assumptions, and push for meaningful change. And in true Lisa fashion, she’s doing it all with an eye on what’s next to learn and do.