professional headshot of Samantha Lipscomb, standing in industrial office setting with long brown hair and wearing navy blue blouse

Meet Our Team:

Samantha Lipscomb

Chief Administrative Officer

Samantha Lipscomb is an experienced nonprofit leader specializing in financial management, human resources, and organizational planning. As the Chief Administrative Officer of Keystone Alliance, a Chicago-based organization supporting nonprofits that serve individuals with disabilities, Samantha manages administrative operations, oversees budgets, ensures regulatory compliance, and leads strategic planning. Since joining Keystone in 2014 and being promoted in 2022, she has played a key role in improving operational efficiency and supporting the organization’s mission. 

With a background in fine arts, specializing in glassblowing, Samantha’s early artistic experience instilled a strong sense of teamwork and creative problem-solving. While she transitioned from the art studio to the nonprofit sector, she continues to enjoy glassblowing as a hobby and values how it shaped her approach to leadership and collaboration. 

Samantha holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration and has also volunteered as a Visiting Artist for the Visibility Arts Program. Her expertise and dedication help organizations achieve financial stability and maximize their impact in the community.

Q&A with Samantha (June 2024)

  • What are the primary responsibilities of your role as the Chief Administrative Officer and how do they align with our mission?

    In my role, I oversee the activities of the HR, Benefits and Admin departments. I also participate in developing our organization's strategic plans and manage compliance and risk to ensure we adhere to legal and regulatory requirements. I focus on developing and implementing policies, procedures and standards to maintain effective and efficient operations. Additionally, I handle various projects related to gathering information or completing tasks for our client organizations and affiliates, collaborating with our teams to ensure these projects are done efficiently and provide maximum value. This, in turn, benefits the people they support through their missions. I believe my duties align with our mission because we always consider outcomes and how they will benefit the organizations we serve, not just completing tasks.

  • How do you foster collaboration and conversation between different departments within our organization to ensure common vision amongst our team members?

    I believe that effective collaboration between departments requires a lot of active listening, asking questions and then listening some more. This approach helps me understand the workloads, goals and ideas of my team members, ensuring we’re all aligned when working together. It’s important to have a clear definition of our destination to ensure we all reach the same place.

  • You’ve been with Keystone and M+S for 10+ years, what inspired you to work in the nonprofit sector, and what motivates you to continue?

    I come from a family of nonprofit workers and social workers, so it always made sense to me to pursue a career that gives back to the community. I feel really lucky to work in this field because I get to interact with so many inspirational people.

  • Is there a fun fact about you or something you enjoy doing that you can share with our community?

    I also have a love for the arts and a background in glassblowing. For a long time, I balanced two jobs: one at my nonprofit and another at a glass studio. Since becoming a mom, I've had less time for hobbies, but I recently started doing stained glass and really enjoy it.

Together, we are stronger.

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