PR Hall of Fame Inductee and Philanthropist Lisa Vallee-Smith grew up in GP Woods with two older brothers and a younger sister. She attended a small liberal arts college in Indiana before transferring to Wayne State, where she became a serious student with a passion for journalism and marketing.

Her employment started as the Director of Public Relations at Detroit Renaissance, which worked on the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Detroit Grand Prix. She was also the president of Franco Public Relations Group for three years in the 1990s before starting her own public relations company, Airfoil Group, in 2000. Over the years, the company’s clients have included Microsoft, eBay, and PayPal. She is currently its CEO but is transitioning her way into retirement.
Ms. Vallee-Smith is now in the “bonus chapter” of her life, making a positive impact on our community through the Smith Family Foundation that she co-founded with her husband, Jeffrey. She believes that they have donated $500,000 over the last 5 years, with the main beneficiaries being Ascension St. John Hospital, Forgotten Harvest, and growing the sport of lacrosse in the City of Detroit.
 
Her “third son” Liam McIlroy, a GP South graduate, gave a short summary of his efforts on the lacrosse front as the Cass Tech Boys Lacrosse coach and the Director of the Detroit Box Lacrosse Association.

Ms. Vallee-Smith surprised us at the end of her talk by making a donation to the Club’s Foundation. It was very much appreciated!