Lisa B. Nelson

Lisa B. Nelson was named Head of Global Government Relations for Visa Inc. in 2008. As such, she has responsibility to run global government relations operations for the world’s leading payment brand and payment system. Visa Inc. facilitates trillions of transaction volume with virtually 100% reliability and US consumers carry 440 million Visa-branded credit, commercial, prepaid and check cards. With issues ranging from technology based data security to banking and payment issues, Nelson directs the strategy behind a successful global government relations agenda with all branches of government as well as outreach to third party allies. She also oversees community relations as well as the state relations function for Visa Inc. which covers all the State legislative branches across the United States.

Prior to joining Visa in April, 2005, Lisa was with Time Warner from February 1999 and served as Senior Vice President of External Relations. In this capacity she oversaw relationships with all external organizations within the political and policy sphere including party committees, advocacy groups, think tanks and coalitions. She managed a team of both federal policy lobbyists and the Time Warner state policy function for both AOL and Time Warner.

Before Time Warner, Nelson was Public Affairs Liaison for House Speaker Newt Gingrich, where she directed strategic planning for an action-based issues agenda. With an eye toward coalition building and effective team management, Nelson was a key player within House leadership in message development and its broad based communication through earned media. She was the primary liaison between the Speaker, Republican Governors, and elected state and local officials across the country.

Prior to joining the Speaker’s Office, Nelson served as Executive Director of GOPAC, the Education and Training Center for the 21st Century, from November 1993 through September 1997. Nelson managed the delivery of national campaign themes through in-state seminars, teletraining programs, an audiocassette lecture series, video course productions, and a direct mail program. Her success in educating and training state and local candidates proved crucial to Republican electoral victories in 1994 and 1996.

Before GOPAC, Nelson was Executive Director of the National Review Institute, a non-profit 501 c (3), whose work parallels the editorial mission of the National Review magazine, in developing new ideas on educational, environmental, cultural, and economic topics. Nelson served as Director of Special Projects until she was named by William F. Buckley, Jr., as Director. While in New York, Nelson ran the Political Club for Growth, a Manhattan-based organization that meets monthly to hear and support national candidates and issues.

Nelson has been active in politics since 1981, having worked a number of years in the Strategic Planning Office of the Republican National Committee where she coordinated the site selection for the 1988 National convention. She also served the Republican Party in her roles as Director of Communications for the 1992 National Convention in Houston and Deputy Director of Media Operations for the 1988 National Convention in New Orleans. Both Convention experiences provided an opportunity to oversee all logistical preparations for over 17,000 media representatives worldwide including all network and satellite coverage.

Nelson serves on several boards in the DC area including GOPAC and the Business-Government Relations Council, an organization for government relations leaders in fortune 500 companies. Nelson also represented the United States Government in Hungary while observing the political/election process with the International Republican Institute. She has organized international delegations of business leaders led by William F. Buckley, Jr. and Governor Pete DuPont to Asia and Eastern Europe to meet political, economic and cultural leaders.

Nelson is a political science and international relations graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. She and husband David live in McLean, VA with their two children, Sam Creed (17) and Britton Elizabeth (15).