Lucy Lee Helm is a long-time Mercy Corps supporter, legal expert, and philanthropist.

Lucy’s first involvement with Mercy Corps was as a donor, supporting disaster response in Haiti in the 1990s. Over the years she sought new ways to engage, joining the board of directors in 2015. She currently serves as a director, and chair of the board development committee.

In her time with Mercy Corps, Lucy has been most inspired by working with her fellow board members and meeting team members from across the organization. She has also appreciated visiting the programming and learning about the work first-hand.

Lucy retired from Starbucks in December 2020 after a 21 year career in Legal and Human Resources roles, including as Executive Vice President, General Counsel from 2012-2017 and Executive Vice President, Chief Partner Officer from 2017-2020.

Prior to Starbucks Lucy practiced trial law as an advocacy director at an independent living center for persons with disabilities. She received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Louisville and a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law.

Lucy also serves on the Board of the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth; on the advisory board of Disability Rights Advocates, a non-profit disability law center; and on the advisory board for the Legal Foundation of Washington

In her personal time she enjoys traveling, reading, walking, and spending time with her family.