Lisa Beth Lentini Walker, JD, MBA, CCEP, CEO & Founder of Lumen Worldwide Endeavors in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Lisa Beth Lentini Walker was interviewed by Adam Turteltaub (adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org), Chief Engagement & Strategy Officer at SCCE & HCCA.

AT: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, and again, it’s great to have you on the board of Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics & Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE & HCCA). I want to start with something that jumped out at me when I was preparing this interview. You have spent the last nine years in a board leadership role for the nonprofit Stages Theatre Company, which focuses on theater experiences for children. What led you to the organization and to get so involved with it?

LBLW: I absolutely love the theater and the freedom of expression that is a hallmark of the arts. When I was younger, being involved in the theater gave me an important place that felt like home away from home. These transformational experiences are so important in the lives of youth that I felt an instant connection with the mission, vision, and purpose of Stages Theatre Company in my community.

I have had the great fortune to contribute to an organization that brings out the best in children and our community and makes a difference on the world stage. Being part of the board of a nonprofit that you believe in is something that everyone should experience. It’s one of the many ways that you can use your compliance and ethics talents for good outside of your job—and it is part of the legacy that you leave to the world.

AT: I find that so often skills and passions from outside compliance have lessons or help develop skills that prove useful for compliance professionals. Has your work with Stages Theatre Company brought any insights into compliance practices?

LBLW: Absolutely! Compliance and ethics professionals have so much to give to society. I am a board member of Stages Theatre Company, SCCE & HCCA, and a women’s “art as fashion” company called Alice Riot. In each of those roles, I get additional opportunities to bring my compliance and ethics expertise to the table to lend different perspectives and learn about the different challenges that organizations face. Every experience makes me a more seasoned and well-rounded practitioner.

AT: Let’s move over to your professional life. After law school you joined the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). What was your role there?

LBLW: My role at the SEC started out as an attorney reviewing public company registration statements and periodic reports. I was initially focused on public companies in the consumer products sector. As with all great jobs, I got opportunities to expand on my work through temporary assignments to the shareholder proposal task force, the Office of Small Business Policy, and the Office of Enforcement Liaison. I even got to represent the United States at the Council of Securities Regulators of the Americas in a meeting in the Dominican Republic where I was working on a white paper on small to medium capital formation in the Americas.