Leisa McDonald

Leisa is a bridge-builder and has a passion for helping forcibly displaced families find community, support, and friendship as they work to make Arizona their home. She co-founded Matthew House
AZ Inc, a 501(c)(3) serving the refugee and immigrant community, in July of 2021 and is currently Executive Director for the organization. Matthew House is focused on equipping, empowering, and caring for our newest neighbors through housing subsidies, English language classes, tutoring
programs for students and mentoring relationships for newly arrived families in the East Valley of Phoenix. Prior to founding Matthew House, she led Refugee Programming at Central Christian Church and the East Valley Refugee Coalition for six years. Additionally, she worked in Contact Center Management and Leadership Development for a large Medical Device Company for 17 years before moving to Phoenix in 2012. Outside of her work, Leisa enjoys traveling and exploring the world with her husband, Scott, and spending time with her young adult daughters, Emily and Abby.