Meet our Board Members

Lisa Smith CEO Andere Seminars and BeAuditSecure.com

Lisa Smith, CMA, RMA, CHWE

Executive Director – CEO

Lisa is our Executive Director and CEO. She is also a survivor of years of abuse. Lisa has been free of the FOG (fear, obligation, and guilt) that abusers create for several years and is determined to assist others in getting free, as well. More importantly is breaking the cycle of violence and helping to eliminate some of the factors that lead to domestic violence in the first place. Lisa and her husband, Rick, have founded  The Andere Foundation with the belief that breaking each small link in the chain will lead to brighter futures for those who follow and may never even know they were helped. Lisa is also the CEO of Andere Seminars where she designs e-learning programs, compliance solutions for business owners, and acts as a subject matter expert for many national training and educational development organizations across the nation. Lisa is a Certified and Registered Medical Assistant and a Certified Health and Wellness Examiner.

Rick Smith

CFO

Rick has been a small business owner for over 20 years. He is also the co-founder of the Andere Foundation. Rick has worked with survivors of abuse inside and outside of his own family over the last 20 years and feels strongly toward our mission of providing educational opportunities. Rick has seen the benefit of empowering victims and survivors with choices, helping them break free of the trap of believing the abuser is the only choice for financial security. Being self-employed for most of his adult life, Rick understands the fear involved in taking a risk and the rewards that come when self-esteem is built through success. He brings this understanding to Andere as decisions are made toward assisting our clients.

Mason Merrell

Vice President

Mason is a small business owner and a survivor of child abuse. Mason knows first hand how a mother and her children struggle in tough situations to survive an abusive parent and spouse. As an 8 year old boy, Mason greatly influenced his mother with courage as he asked her to please tell Dad to leave. He strengthened his mother. She did leave and credits a lot of her movement to Mason’s influence. Today, Mason approaches Andere Foundation’s mission with this same conviction.

Michelle Merrell

Secretary

Michelle is our secretary. She has an Associates Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Arts: Modern Culture in Spanish. Michelle also speaks four languages. In addition to the many talents and wonderful education she brings to our foundation, Michelle has a story that is very touching and will appeal to many of our clients. She is an immigrant who became naturalized several years ago. Before meeting her wonderful husband Mason, Michelle was married to an abusive husband from her native culture. She went through a struggle of disbelief when she reached out for assistance. Much of this struggle was cultural. Definitely a problem many immigrants deal with across the country. Finally, years later,  justice prevailed and Michelle was freed from her abuser. She definitely sees the importance of the mission of Andere and is here to support our clients.