Influential Women spotlights Lisha Y. Lewis's post-Air Force leadership path

Influential Women is highlighting Lisha Y. Lewis, a retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant who turned 34 years of military service into entrepreneurship, voiceover work and community advocacy. Her story centers on leadership, faith and using lived experience to support veterans, women and others in Metro Detroit.

Why it matters: - Lewis's path shows how military leadership skills can translate into entrepreneurship, advocacy and creative work after retirement. - Her focus on empowerment, cultural awareness and veteran support places her in community-facing roles with direct local impact. - Her story also reflects a broader push to elevate African American women leaders in Metro Detroit.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Lisha Y. Lewis, a retired Senior Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force, combat veteran, entrepreneur and trained voiceover artist. - Lewis retired from the Air Force in 2019 after 34 years of service. - She served in leadership roles including Human Resources Advisor and Operations Manager. - Lewis is based in Van Buren Township, Michigan. - Her military career included deployments to more than 13 countries and a one-year combat tour in Afghanistan.

The details: - Lewis said her Air Force work supported mission readiness, personnel development, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and organizational effectiveness. - She founded Extraordinary Black Race LLC and Another Day’s Journee LLC after leaving the military. - Those organizations focus on empowerment, cultural awareness and positive narrative change. - Lewis also works as a voiceover artist in commercials, narration and promotional content. - Her professional approach draws on her broadcast background, storytelling skills and communications experience. - She said her worldview is shaped by resilience, integrity, compassion, faith and persistence. - Lewis credits her parents with teaching respect, discipline and how to judge people by character and contribution. - She said military service reinforced resilience, accountability, teamwork, adaptability and focus under pressure. - Lewis said trying is better than letting fear of failure stop action. - She also said leadership starts with learning how to follow, listen and trust the process. - Her community work includes veteran support initiatives, church outreach and advocacy. - She has been recognized as one of the Most Influential African American Women in Metro Detroit. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile and her website.

Between the lines: - Lewis's story is built around reinvention, not a single career pivot. - The combination of military discipline, entrepreneurship and creative communications gives her a wider platform to shape public conversations. - Her emphasis on funding gaps and public misunderstanding suggests that impact work still depends heavily on education, partnerships and consistent outreach.

What's next: - Lewis plans to keep growing her companies while using her voice in community service and advocacy. - She said she will continue encouraging women to create opportunities when traditional pathways do not open. - Her work is likely to stay centered on service, storytelling and support for veterans and underrepresented communities.