Lisa Kaichen

Lisa Meredith Kaichen
February 19, 1951 - August 19, 2025

The world became brighter when Lisa Kaichen was born to Elizabeth McGuire and Noel Gottesman on February 19th, 1951. "Little Lisa" was also called "Dovey" as a baby because she cooed like a dove. With a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, Lisa gained a respect for different religions and a love for holidays and traditions with family.

Lisa had a little brother, David, born when she was 4 years old. Their father, Noel, passed away in a commercial plane crash over the Grand Canyon when she was just 5 years old. Later, her mother married John Kaichen, who adopted both Lisa and David. A year later, her little sister Carolyn was born.

Her family prioritized dinners together, deep conversations, and awareness of the world — values Lisa later instilled in her own daughters. She was always learning; John even brought encyclopedias to the dinner table.

From an early age, Lisa demonstrated leadership, becoming the "captain" of the street patrol in fifth grade and taking her job very seriously. She was brilliant, creative, and occasionally rebellious, traits that shaped her whole life.

In high school, Lisa boldly attended a boarding school to gain the independence she craved. Determined to graduate early, she took night courses at the local college to skip her senior year. Her thirst for knowledge and culture carried her around the world, from Africa and Asia to Europe. She delighted in ethnic food, but loved lemon meringue pie, brownies and coffee ice cream. She loved every genre of music, and idolized Mick Jagger - even chatting backstage with him and Bianca once!

Lisa earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit, and MSW from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Later she joined the University of Colorado-Denver's first national doctoral cohort in Nonprofit Leadership. She believed that "to whom much is given, much is expected." Proud yet humble, Lisa always felt called to do "more" to make the world fairer - especially for children.

Lisa's career was remarkable. At 24, she became Executive Director of the Sanctuary, a shelter and counseling program for runaway youth. She later spent a decade as CEO of Children's Charter of the Courts of Michigan, training social workers, attorneys, and shaping policy on child welfare and juvenile justice. Her expertise in child welfare led her to staff the Coleman Commission on Permanency Planning, spur the development of Michigan CASA, and preside over the Michigan Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse.

Lisa always loved children and wanted to have her own. At 35 she decided to adopt 5-year-old Angela as a single mother. Although she had nearly completed her doctoral coursework, Lisa chose to pause her studies when she became Program Officer at the Skillman Foundation — and more importantly, spend time with Angela.

Lisa intentionally waited to get married until later in life. She explained this was "because she did not have a man shaped hole in her body." At forty, Robert Brady's humor and wit won her over, and with a lot of convincing, she agreed to marry him and move to Covington, Louisiana. There she gave birth to her youngest daughter, Erika.

Lisa embraced her "fairy tale" neighborhood of pine trees, bayou access, and the sounds of nature. She welcomed daily walks in the warmer weather, Cajun cuisine, and local culture. While in Louisiana, Lisa established ResourceWorks, a consulting firm devoted to building the capacity of nonprofits and the people who lead them. She also enjoyed working as a foster and adoptive parent recruiter and trainer and simultaneously worked as the Executive Director of the GPOA Foundation for many years.

Lisa also helped the Parenting Center of West St. Tammany Parish implement First Steps and Mentor Moms, then worked with numerous children's and family services. With colleague Susan Delle Shaffette, she founded the St. Tammany Commission on Families and the Together We Can Conference on child welfare.

Though Lisa was enthusiastic about her career, her most treasured role was being mother to Angela and Erika. She nurtured them with kindness, read and sang to them, and encouraged them to grow into good human beings. She brought them to libraries, plays, museums, thrift stores, and participated in family volunteer projects. Lisa supported their every interest, even long swim meets and show choir rehearsals, and hosted exchange students from Belgium and Canada to expose them to new cultures.

Widowed at 45 years old, with two young daughters, Lisa eventually decided to date again. After initially connecting over a book about "real moments" Lisa married Leon Broussard in 2000. Together they embraced adventure: boating, camping, traveling, and later buying a camper. Leon also rekindled her lifelong love of animals — their family grew to include cats, dogs, bunnies, turtles, squirrels, and more.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Lisa sprang into action granting emergency funding to displaced nonprofits and helping form Nonprofit Central. She helped create a coalition now called the Unified Nonprofits of Greater New Orleans. She also volunteered to chaperone two boys whose mothers drowned in Hurricane Katrina to an international grief camp in Japan. There she befriended children and chaperones from 18 nations.

She shared her knowledge generously as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University, the University of New Orleans, and Tulane University's School of Social Work. In 2012, she took leadership as a founder of the Women's Center for Healing & Transformation by incorporating it as a nonprofit and setting up its structure. She also championed women through supporting and participating in the SHERO conference.

In 2021, Lisa moved to San Antonio, Texas, embracing urban living near universities, restaurants, and the Tower of the Americas. She cherished both quiet independence and time with loved ones. During this time, Lisa was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a rare lung disease with a life expectancy of 3-5 years. True to her optimistic spirit, she declared she would "survive and thrive", calling her oxygen equipment her "superpower". In Lisa fashion, she naturally took leadership within the community of PF warriors. She continued teaching virtual foster family workshops through the Louisiana Child Welfare Training Academy, often co-training with Erika. Both daughters followed her path into social work.

Even as her health declined, Lisa pursued new dreams. With Erika, she founded Artfull Activities for All, LLC, to provide therapeutic art workshops, training, and create collaborative furniture art to support charities.

Lisa's creativity was boundless. Whether writing, painting, collaging, doing ceramics, or doodling, she turned everything into a masterpiece. She encouraged others to enjoy the process, not just the finished product, and carried notebooks everywhere to capture her ideas. She published a Lifebook for foster children, created two children's books, and filled her world with art.

You could recognize Lisa instantly from a mile away by her beautiful white hair, red lipstick (Revlon #727), and colorful, eccentric clothing. She described herself as a "young 74" and unless you knew beforehand, you would never guess her age. Her spirit was youthful, with friends of all ages. Her relationships with her daughters, friends, and grandsons were each unique, fun, and deeply fulfilling.

Lisa believed no one was "less than" and that all faiths were worthy of God's love. Her outlook was consistently positive, always looking to the bright side of life. Lisa's heart was nurturing, and her love was unconditional. She urged others to use their talents. Her beautiful spirit lives on and her message remains: "Go for it!". As Lisa would say, "if not now, when?"

She is survived by her husband/friend Leon Broussard, daughters Angela Joyce Kaichen and Erika Kaichen Brady-Henderson, her sons-in-law Isaac Chaisson and Mark Henderson, her grandsons Gavin Chaisson and Brady Henderson, her sister Carolyn Kaichen Litak, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Although Lisa's family and friends miss her physical presence significantly, they know they will always be connected to Lisa.

To honor Lisa's generous spirit and her work with foster children, please consider a donation to Louisiana CASA, CASA San Antonio, or Michigan CASA.
Also, please do random acts of kindness in her honor. Some of her family will be volunteering to deliver Thanksgiving meals to individuals experiencing homelessness in New Orleans through Champion Church. The more the merrier! If you would like to help provide or deliver these meals, please contact Erika.

There will be three Celebrations of Lisa's Life:
- Detroit, Michigan — October 18
- San Antonio, Texas — October 26
- Covington, Louisiana — November 29
Please contact Erika for details on attending in person or virtually.