Lisa Miller Autry

A native New Yorker, Lisa Miller Autry is a Christian who believes that true life and empowerment are found in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom presence and principles. Lisa brings these to bear to the individuals, companies, and communities that she serves.

Lisa is a dynamic leader, retired bank executive, successful entrepreneur, author, and ordained minister who has a demonstrated track record of helping individuals, companies, and communities grow strategically, economically, and spiritually. Read below for further detail on Lisa’s personal background.

Financial Executive

Lisa retired from a highly-successful, 32-year commercial.corporate banking career in 2019 as Senior Vice President & Dallas Market Manager for a $40 billion financial institution. In that capacity, she led teams of commercial bankers in providing financing and diverse financial services to organizations with up to $50 million in annual revenues. Lisa developed and mentored leaders and served as a strategic partner on that bank’s Executive leadership team in Dallas.

Lisa spent the first 15 years of her banking career in Corporate Banking at one of the largest banks in the country, providing $5 million to $100 million loans and diverse financial services to organizations with up to $1 billion in annual revenues; in Community Development Lending providing SBA and other loans to small businesses in low-to-moderate income communities; and in leading the bank’s Corporate Banking Training Program for recent business school and college graduates.

Lisa also led a community-based organization providing community development block grant loans in partnership with other banks. Over her banking career, Lisa was identified as a “Top Talent” and was selected to complete several executive leadership programs.

It also is noteworthy that Lisa was the first African-American Corporate Banking executive in Texas for her national bank (and one of the first for any of the Texas banks), serving as a trailblazer in the 1990s and throughout her banking career.

Author - Holy Borrowers: Equipping Church Leaders for Building Finance

Lisa is passionate about equipping God’s church. She is the author of Holy Borrowers: Equipping Church Leaders for Building Finance. Holy Borrowers is a much-needed roadmap for church leaders and all others who desire to become better equipped in financing a congregation's largest tangible asset: their church building (https://holyborrowers.com). Lisa teaches these principles in seminaries, banking workshops, and to denominations, both in person and online. Holy Borrowers is being used by church leaders in three continents and is in the process of being translated into Spanish.

Ordained Minister & Missions Mobilizer

Lisa is an ordained minister who is passionate about preaching and teaching God’s Word in churches and conferences nationally and abroad - with a particular calling for working with women and men on the African continent. She has served in a wide range of leadership functions and mentoring roles within her own church, Christ Community, where her husband, Dr. Terrence Autry, serves as founder and Lead Pastor. As the great-granddaughter of the Rev. George Frazier Miller - one of the “Original 29” of the Niagara Movement with W.E.B. Dubois, Lisa carries a multi-generational passion for a holistic gospel that brings economic empowerment and social justice to underserved communities, in her local communities and around the world.

Educational Background

Lisa’s educational background includes an A. B. degree in Economics from Brown University, an M.B.A. degree in Finance & Marketing from The Anderson School of Management at UCLA, a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Ministries from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Boards

Lisa has served on numerous boards, including the board of Dallas Leadership Foundation “ulocking leadership in challenged communities;” the board of WorldVenture, a global missions organization “engaging the world for gospel impact;” the Executive Committee of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce; and, the Circle of Friends Advisory Board of New Friends New Life. She currently serves as Chair of the board of Let’s Elevate, Inc., focused on economic empowerment for underserved youth, children, and aspiring adults (https://letselevatedallas.org).

What Else?

Lisa was featured in Precious Times magazine as one of “The 50 Faithful” and also was a contributing devotional writer to Aspire: The New Women of Color Study Bible published by Zondervan. A native New Yorker, Lisa can be counted on to cut to the chase and tell you the truth. Lisa is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the National Council of Negro Women. She and her husband of 30+ years have two young adult sons, Terrence, II (Howard University, 2011) and Daniel (University of Virginia, 2018).