Life & Work with Lisa Anders of Gwinnett County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Anders.

Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My career is truly an example of getting your foot in the door, and climbing the ladder! i began my destination marketing career in 1996, not long out of college and the year of Atlanta Olympics. i followed a professional mentor to Atlanta, and he gave me the sage advice. ‘look for what you love, and just get your foot in the door.’ i began my career with Explore Gwinnett almost 30 years ago. starting as an administrative assistant, working my way through multiple roles in Marketing Communications, Executive Director in 2011 and being named COO in 2024.
Explore Gwinnett has grown exponentially over those past decades, and our primary role, driving visitation, meetings, and events to Gwinnett, has expanded as well. We have created and run a number of successful countywide marketing initiatives, including the Seoul of the South Korean Food Tours, Gwinnett Burger Week and ARTober. My organizational umbrella also includes the Gwinnett Sports Commission, which strictly focuses on driving sporting events and tournaments to Gwinnett, the Gwinnett Film Commission and the Gwinnett Creativity Fund.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overall, i would say yes – however there have been some major struggles in our industry, which can’t help but impact your people and our organization. The 2008 recession was one of the first times we really felt the impact of the overall economic downtown, and that year brought major budget cuts to our organization for the first time. we were fortunate to re-bound well, but the pandemic brought changes that were impactful and long-lasting. We, like many others, were forced to make staff cuts, programming changes and adjust to the new normal of work from home, as well as a workforce that had completely different ‘post-COVID’ expectations. i’m proud of the fact my team was so committed and resilient through a difficult era, and we have created an even stronger work-life balance culture as a result.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My role as Explore Gwinnett’s COO is truly one of the most muti-faceted positions in our industry. I am incredibly fortunate to have excellent, committed and industry leaders on my sales, marketing, sports marketing and community development teams allowing me to focus on the strategy/vision for our organization. Supporting our hotel partners, developing new initiatives, creating new marketing opportunities, collaborating with our city, county, and industry partners – those are our strengths and where we thrive. i love the process of brainstorming new ideas and innovative initiatives. A few of these creative brainstorms have evolved into pillars of our organization – the creation and growth of the Gwinnett Film Commission over the past 10 years, the creation and administration of the Gwinnett Creativity Fund, which is Gwinnett County’s only dedicated grant program focused on non-profit arts, cultural and entertainment organizations. We have granted over $1.5 million dollars in the past 6 years, and in 2025, we added a second grant cycle, focused on Community Placemaking. Our Sports Commission has evolved into a statewide leader, with a recent success being our work to bring the 2026 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament to a new home for the first time in two decades.
What i am most proud of is my team, and their commitment, dedication and excellent reputation for being people who make it happen – creatively, collaboratively and always bringing the fun. What sets me apart? Hmm. i think that even though i have been doing this work for 30 years, i am truly as passionate, if not more, than i have ever been. i feel exuberant about our work every day.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
we have great, ongoing partnerships with the county, key cities, our major venues (Gas South District, our hotels) and many, many community organizations. One of the most quiet, yet impactful ways people can support is by truly being Gwinnett ambassadors – civic leaders and companies who live and work here – there so much opportunity to bring conferences, meetings and tournaments to Gwinnett. So many times even our residents aren’t aware of the caliber of venues we have and the event elevation opportunities and assistance available through Explore Gwinnett and the Sports Commission. that’s one thing that can bring value to everyone – the average visitor spends $300/day in Gwinnett, at our hotels, restaurants and shopping, providing a tremendous tax value to our residents!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.exploregwinnett.org
• Instagram: @exploregwinnett