March 31, 2025
By Chloe Arrington

George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering alumna Lisa Cupid, ME 2000, saw her vocational path move from following a passion for engineering to answering a call to serve those around her, leading her to her current position as Cobb County's first female and first African American chair. In this Q&A, Cupid shares her journey from classroom to public office, how she has handled the challenges that have come with being a woman of color in office, the lessons she leans on to lead those in her community, and the legacy she hopes to leave through her work.
 

Introduce yourself! Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I'm a proud alumna of Georgia Tech, where I earned my degree in mechanical engineering. After experiencing paperwork challenges as a walk-on track athlete, I transitioned to becoming a student leader through volunteer service. I met my husband at a leadership program, and we're now raising two bright and active high school-aged boys!

As first-generation Americans, my husband and I draw strength from our diverse heritage. His parents are from Trinidad, and mine are from Guyana. I was born in New York and grew up in suburban Detroit. Initially, I envisioned a career as a manufacturing engineer, following in my father's footsteps in the automotive industry. However, my mom's influence had a profound impact on my path. She is a gifted writer and instilled in me and my sisters a strong sense of service, faith, and intellectual curiosity. After graduating, I began my career in manufacturing in New York. I excelled in the company's leadership rotation program, but a conversation with my supervisor sparked a sense of discontent. He noted that I was the only engineer who scored high in public service on a skill assessment.

After relocating to Georgia with my husband, I ultimately left the company due to limited opportunities away from its headquarters. We settled in South Cobb, a moderate-income, majority-minority community in affluent Cobb County. Compared to other county areas, I was troubled by the disparities I witnessed in South Cobb, which led me to volunteer in my community and eventually leave my job to pursue a new path.

I enrolled in English studies, hoping to attend law school, which was a childhood dream. During my time in school, I gained valuable experience with varying jobs in the nonprofit civic sector, affordable housing, and policy research. These experiences prompted me to pursue a law degree and a master's degree in public administration. At the time, I believed that these degrees would equip me to create a nonprofit to advocate for responsible community development for South Cobb and similar communities.

As I progressed, people encouraged me to run for office. While still in law school, I decided to take the leap. I won my first election in 2012, defeating a three-term incumbent! Eight years later, I made history by becoming Cobb County's first female and first African American chair.
 

Can you talk more about your current role?

As the Chairwoman of Cobb County, I'm responsible for setting policies, proposing budgets, and allocating funds. I oversee meetings, appoint managerial positions, and represent the county on various boards. My practical goal is to ensure our government is and remains responsive to citizens' needs and interests that promote their health, safety, and welfare efficiently, effectively, reasonably, and responsibly. Our local government provides various services, including transportation, public safety, community development, business licensing, water, libraries, parks and recreation, recycling, senior services, and more.
 

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your current position?

When I stepped into my position, the world was grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, which persisted until 2022. This global crisis had far-reaching impacts on mental health, housing stability, and the economy. Simultaneously, Cobb County faced existential challenges. The redrawing of district lines after the 2020 census led to a historic first: a newly elected commissioner was removed from the district she was elected to represent. Notably, she is also a Georgia Tech graduate.

Furthermore, we navigated four simultaneous efforts to create new cities in the county. In addition, the state merged our county's mental health safety net program with a more rural district due to financial challenges without giving me the opportunity to understand or resolve these issues.

Simultaneously, our Board of Commissioners received rhetorical backlash due to its predominantly Democratic and all-female composition, a first in Cobb's history. The disrespect towards elected officials following the 2020 elections seemed amplified by the fact that our board was also majority African American for the first time. 

Confessedly, I was frustrated by the lack of deference I received, both externally and internally, compared to prior chairs. However, I realized that I am different and must lead differently. I learned the imperative of spending every morning in prayer and study, and my guiding scripture is to do all things in mercy and in truth. As chair, I am accountable to the entire county, and in truth, I must lead, but as a woman of faith, I must lead with grace towards myself and others by honoring their humanity and unique perspectives. This approach enables me to embrace challenges as opportunities to lead, grow, connect, and have compassion.
 

Who are some women of history and the present day who inspire you? 

Harriett Tubman is an icon I have long admired, having read multiple biographies about her. I feel connected to her as I have read about her conviction that God gave her the unique power to overcome her challenges, even her enemies. I am in complete awe of the tremendous courage, confidence, and care Harriet Tubman exhibited in not only escaping slavery but also in helping dozens of others do the same.
 

Is there a woman that history forgot who you would encourage people to learn about? 

We forget about the women who are serving, humbly and honorably, among us who may not be in positions of prominence in the market, academia, or Hollywood; women who have extraordinary gifts of service, integrity, and compassion. Those who may choose to stay at home, who may devote themselves to caring for children or the elderly; women in supportive administrative roles or essential hourly roles that may not require degrees; women whose opinions we seldom ask but whose wisdom keeps us safe, protected, fed, and loved. I have met many remarkable women who I admire who lift me, advise me, and do not wear earthly titles but add tremendous value to my life, our communities, and our organizations.
 

How do you hope to impact your field or community through your work?

I hope to empower others to competently, courageously, and compassionately impact conditions in their community by engaging their local government leaders, effectively influencing policy, and ensuring services support their communities. My goal is for local governments to take the quality of life of all segments of their community seriously, especially the underserved.
 

How do you stay motivated to continue to grow professionally and personally?

I believe God requires it of me to become more in his image every day and to do his will. Knowing I am far from it keeps me quite busy in that pursuit! I also realize that countless people came before me and helped me get to where I am today. The ancestors who endured and overcame chattel slavery and lingering oppression, my grandmother and parents who immigrated here and made a life and a living. My mom who would make us read the dictionary and washed and reused our plastic sandwich bags from lunch to save money, my dad who worked hard every day and always believed in us. My husband, who is our home chief financial officer and my chief motivator to run for office, and my children who sacrifice so much of their time and mean the world to me. My sisters who love me unconditionally and always answer or return my calls. The community that believed enough in me to support me with all the ideas I had to improve our neighborhood, my constituents who I am called to serve and who I care deeply for, my donors and volunteers who invested their money and time in me and our county, my mentors who believed in me and guide me to this day, my team of employees who go above and beyond every day, and the future generations of Cobb. I don’t ever want to let any one of them down.
 

How would you encourage men to advocate for and amplify the voice of women in higher education/STEM?

Hire women. Support women. Let them be seen and let them speak. Trust their voice. Let them lead. I say this, have a diverse staff and volunteer liaisons of differing ethnicities and ages. They are all high performers, bringing something unique and valuable to the table. I have learned so much from them and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have been welcomed in spaces where no one looks like me because people connect with them and feel that if I trust them to work close to me, they can trust me also.

Having a diverse team can help you see things differently and prepare you for nuances or considerations you may not be aware of. This enables you to be more mindful of customers and opportunities and helps you avoid pitfalls. Also, because some team members may be used to being different, they go out of their way to make sure others feel valued. I love that.

Let diverse staff represent leadership in different capacities on different programs and initiatives. When people see them as leaders, they are more apt to receive someone who looks, and is different, as someone who can lead capably and responsibly in those spaces. Also, invite women to meetings and ask them their opinions in front of others, even if the subject is not their area of expertise. It shows others that you trust their judgment. Moreover, it shows that your diverse employees are resources, not just worker bees.

Oftentimes, minorities or women are brought into spaces and are not put in positions of trust or leadership. They may also not be given opportunities to use their voice with impact when they have earned it through their competence. This is isolating and further calcifies that they are merely to be seen and not heard. When they observe important matters that should be addressed, they may decline or not be confident to do so, which can cost money, time, and reputability.
 

Do you have a saying or mantra you use to motivate yourself and others?

Plenty!

• Do all things in mercy and in truth.
• You have to go through, to get through.
• Cry today. Fight tomorrow.  
• And when people ask me how I am in a down moment I respond “All is well, and if it is not, it will be.”