Watershed’s Founder: Lisa Donoughe – The Northwest’s Premier Food Marketing Consultant

Lisa Donoughe is the founder and principal of Watershed. She is a cultural anthropologist whose work in strategic communications has helped to position Portland, Oregon as a culinary hotbed for chefs, distillers, brewers, farmers and more.  Throughout her career, she has worked to bring attention to quality ingredients and products from white truffles and kosher salt, to natural tender venison from New Zealand, Italian sparkling water and Oregon craft beer. In addition to positioning and promoting the premium products of our day, Lisa also leads teams in moments of crisis. When a terrorist bomb attempt was made at downtown Portland’s holiday tree lighting ceremony, it took quick and deliberate action to pull together stakeholders and arm them with the right talking points – that’s when a strong communicator and clear-headed strategic thinker is most needed.

Before launching Watershed in 1999, Donoughe worked full time in various agency and corporate positions in New York City.  She moved to Oregon in 1999 for a better quality of life and to have a connection to the heart of the artisan food movement. She now splits her time between New York and Portland, Oregon, connecting clients with the best of both worlds.

Donoughe is the founder of the award winning Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival, an annual event that showcases Oregon’s top artisan winemakers.

Donoughe has an anthropology degree from Barnard College, Columbia University, studied culinary arts at the New School and completed a wine education course for professionals with Harriet Lembeck.