Omega Chapters: Lisa Anderson

bacalapristi
13 minutes ago
2 min read

Running home in 1986

In the fall of 1986, Lisa Anderson ran home to Alpha Chi Omega on NE Monroe Street. The Bellevue Babe quickly found a place filled with friendship, sisterhood, and opportunities to grow—though she didn’t yet know that WSU would also shape her career and introduce her to her future husband.

What? Like it's hard?

In 1986, nearly one million people in the U.S. graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Only about 15,000 women earned computer science degrees—roughly 1.5% of all graduates.

Lisa didn’t arrive planning to be one of them. She started in engineering, but her mom—who worked in Human Resources and Training for Boeing Computer Services—saw firsthand that computing was a growing field and encouraged Lisa to explore computer science. (Well done, Mama.)

Fun fact: Lisa has an identical twin sister, who attended the University of Washington, making family visits extra lively.

Embracing Omega

Lisa embraced Omega life, building friendships and taking full advantage of opportunities for growth and leadership.

She served as Recording Secretary and later as Chapter President, developing skills that would serve her throughout her career.

Proud Daughter

Lisa also enjoyed celebrating Mom's Weekend and Dad's Weekend with her favorite parents.

That Guy in the Computer Lab

In the late ’80s, computer science labs were tucked under Martin Stadium. It was there that Lisa noticed a Sigma Chi who seemed intriguingly compelling, though she had no idea he was noticing her too. She was one of only a few women in his computer science classes and the only one he would also see at The Coug.

Then, during Christmas break of her senior year, Jon looked her up in the phone book and asked her out. Who knew computer science could be so…romantic?

From Boeing to Expedia

In 1990, Lisa and Jon graduated with Computer Science degrees and began their careers at Boeing, programming in Fortran. They kept their relationship quiet—until their engagement announcement revealed they’d been the worst-kept secret in the office.

Lisa earned her MBA from Seattle University while working full-time. After Boeing, she joined Expedia, where she spent 23 years in Program Management, helping shape the systems behind millions of online bookings.

Today, she brings her talents to GEICO as a Senior Staff Technical Portfolio Manager.

A Well Rounded Woman

Lisa and Jon have lived in Bellevue for over two decades, raising their sons Logan and Justin, who attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, along with their 16-year-old black cat, Joe. Lisa volunteers at Regional King County Animal Services, gardens, walks, bikes, skis, and is now learning golf and pickleball.

From the computer labs under Martin Stadium to a remarkable career and family life, Lisa has embraced every opportunity along the way. And it all started when she ran home to Alpha Chi Omega.

Lisa - We are proud to call you Sister!

Omega Chapters is a Blog series from your Alum sisters at Sigma Psi Sigma. There are countless chapters we experience throughout our lives and sharing our experiences is a great way to relate to each other. To be clear: No toxic positivity allowed and no humble brags. Shameless brags are perfectly fine! The goal is to connect and inspire.