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LMG Collaborative Consulting Solutions
Lisa M. Gomez
Lisa M. Gomez is a nationally respected expert in employee benefits, retirement equity, multiemployer plans, plan governance, fiduciary responsibilities, workplace mental health and access to mental health care, and worker empowerment. With decades of experience at the intersection of law, leadership, and lived experience, she brings strategic insight and uncommon candor to every conversation – whether advising organizations on fiduciary responsibility, testifying before Congress, speaking about stigma in access to mental health care, or shaping the policies that impact millions of American workers.
Lisa was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in July 2021 to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for this position in September 2022. Prior to that, she led the employee benefits practice at a New York City law firm, where she practiced for nearly thirty years, and was very active in the employee benefits, labor organization, and worker protection communities.
Professional Leadership in Employee Benefits
As the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security and the head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Lisa led the federal agency responsible for protecting more than 150 million American workers’ access to job-based health and retirement benefits. Under her leadership, EBSA advanced critical protections on fiduciary responsibility, mental health parity, and cybersecurity in retirement and health plans. She brought a rare mix of legal expertise, policy nuance, and practical implementation to one of the most complex areas of law. At the same time, Lisa saw the importance of the agency to the protection of workers and their families and the potential for the agency to deliver on its mission.
With decades of experience as a practicing ERISA attorney before her Senate-confirmed appointment, Lisa continues to advise organizations on how to align with fiduciary best practices, mitigate regulatory risk, and navigate shifting compliance landscapes with clarity and confidence.
Trusted Counsel to Taft-Hartley Plans
Before entering public service, Lisa spent nearly 30 years representing multiemployer Taft-Hartley benefit plans – the joint labor-management trusts that provide health, retirement, and other benefits to unionized workers. She worked closely with trustees from both labor and management to address real-world challenges in governance, compliance, and fiduciary oversight.
Lisa brings deep understanding of the legal, operational, and political dynamics unique to these plans. Whether it’s navigating DOL regulations, improving fund governance, or helping trustees fulfill their obligations to participants, she’s known for offering practical, balanced, and effective guidance rooted in decades of hands-on experience.
Advancing Retirement Equity
Lisa has long championed policies that make retirement more accessible, secure, and equitable for all workers – not just those in the top income brackets or traditional career paths. As Assistant Secretary of Labor, she played a leading role in developing critical regulations under the SECURE 2.0 Act, working to implement reforms that expand coverage, simplify plan administration, and promote lifetime income options in retirement planning.
Her focus on retirement equity included initiatives to address the needs of underserved and underrepresented workers, such as part-time employees, lower-wage earners, and those in nontraditional work arrangements. She worked to strengthen protections for plan participants, enhance fee transparency, and close gaps in access that leave too many Americans behind.
Through cross-agency collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and forward-thinking regulation, Lisa helped move the retirement system toward a more inclusive future – one that reflects the realities of today’s workforce and centers long-term outcomes for workers and their families.
Advancing Employee Ownership
During her tenure at EBSA, Lisa created the agency’s first-ever Division of Employee Ownership, a groundbreaking initiative to strengthen federal support for worker-owned business models, including Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and worker cooperatives.
She didn’t just launch a division – she hit the road. Lisa personally visited employee-owned companies across the country, listening to workers, union leaders, and business owners. Her work helped bridge long-standing gaps between employee ownership advocates and regulatory agencies, bringing attention to the real-world needs of these businesses. She worked closely with the entire worker ownership community – including worker cooperatives, ESOP ownership, S-Corporation ESOPs, employee ownership state centers and their stakeholdes and advocates. She championed education and outreach efforts to ensure that employers, unions, and workers alike understand the opportunities and challenges of shared ownership.
Mental Health: Systems, Stigma & Speaking Truth
Lisa’s professional advocacy is deeply personal. Throughout her career, including her time in federal leadership, she has spoken candidly about navigating anxiety, and depression, often while working at the highest levels of government and professional life. She knows what it means to struggle for support for herself and her loved ones while helping design the system meant to protect others.
As Assistant Secretary, Lisa led EBSA’s work in collaboration with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury on the development of the proposed and final rules under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). She oversaw the production of the 2023 and 2024 Reports to Congress on MHPAEA enforcement, with a focus on the law’s nonquantitative treatment limitations (NQTL) comparative analysis requirements – a critical area in ensuring equitable access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Beyond policy development, Lisa launched an aggressive national mental health outreach initiative at EBSA, traveling across the country to elevate the conversation around mental health in the workplace and beyond. She engaged directly with underserved communities and spoke to media outlets nationwide about the importance of mental health, the need for parity in access and care, and the power of talking openly to reduce stigma.
Today, she uses both her lived experience and policy leadership to push for meaningful, systemic change – where mental health is prioritized not just in principle, but in practice. Whether speaking on a TEDx stage or advising organizations on benefit coverage and workplace policy, Lisa brings both candor and clarity to a topic that too often remains in the shadows.
Qualifications, Certifications & Associations
BAR ADMISSIONS
New Jersey
New York
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
HONORS & AWARDS
NAMI Excellence in Mental Health Leadership Award, Issued by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) · Jan 2025
ORGANIZATIONS
Member, American College of Employee Benefits Counsel
Content Champion Member, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)
Member/Friend of the NCEO, National Center for Employee Ownership
VOLUNTEERING
Chair, Board of Directors, Harbor of Hope NJ (www.harborofhopenj.org/)
Treasurer and Vice-Chair, Employee Ownership Expansion Network (www.eoxnetwork.org/)
Board Member, Cover My Mental Health (https://covermymentalhealth.org/)
Conference Planning Committee Member, Peggy Browning Fund (www.peggybrowningfund.org/)
What I Do Now
Lisa partners with organizations that want to lead with integrity, equity, and clarity. She’s here to help you untangle the complexities of law, of leadership, and of culture so you can move forward with purpose.
Lisa M. Gomez
President & Founder
she/her/hers