Lisa Maaca Bartlette, MSSA

Lisa Maaca Bartlette, MSSA, is a social service entrepreneur and Founder of Lisa Maaca Inc (www.lisamaaca.com) whose mission is to transform the way people think about and address trauma. With years of education, research and professional experience in social work, Lisa has made it her life’s work to help those who are hurting to find healing, and to equip those who hold space for people on a healing journey expand their capacities. Lisa’s central focus is on the understanding that people are not problems to solve, rather beings begging to be understood.

After earning her Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School as a Leadership Fellow in 2016, Lisa practiced as a child welfare social worker in Ohio and then in California as a line worker and supervisor. In 2021, Lisa founded her company, Lisa Maaca, Inc. and pivoted to training child welfare and juvenile probation staff. She manages her business with the goal of helping organizations and practitioners create psychological safety, which is the basis for healing. Lisa is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) with a focus on Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and the Neurobiology of Trauma at Barry University.

Lisa considers herself a story distiller, believing in the profound power of storytelling as a vehicle for distilling the life-giving messages held within a person’s soul, a community’s struggle, and a collection of research data. Lisa creates spaces for these stories to be shared by writing her blog, producing podcasts, facilitating trainings, coaching practitioners, and continuing her own healing journey.

Lisa authored a children’s book, The Mountain Ladybug, scheduled for publication in 2024, and is a highlighted speaker at TEDxUNLV (January 27, 2024) on the power of person-first language, engaging in a broader audience on her passion for trauma-informed care.