Lisa Frank (born 1955) is an American businesswoman, the founder of Lisa Frank Incorporated, headquartered in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. She is known for producing whimsical commercial design for school supplies and other products that are primarily marketed to children.

Early life

Frank's father was an art collector and introduced her to the work of such Pop Art artists as

Peter Max Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a German-American artist known for using bright colors in his work. Works by Max are associated with the visual arts and culture of the 1960s, particularly psychedelic art and pop art. ...

. Frank is a 1972 graduate of the

Cranbrook Kingswood School (''In The Right Way Quickly'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent , religious_affiliation = Methodist , president = , head_label = Headmaste ...

, a preparatory school in

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Bir ...

Work

Frank is the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Lisa Frank Incorporated. After moving from the

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, area to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, in the 1970s to study art at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, she founded the children's jewelry company Sticky Fingers, which became Lisa Frank Inc. circa 1979 when she was 24. She continues to lead it as of 2019. Her corporation's artwork features rainbow and neon colors and stylized depictions of animals, including dolphins, pandas, and unicorns. In the 1980s and 1990s, her products – including school supplies such as lunchboxes and Trapper Keepers, as well as toys and stickers – were popular among elementary and

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

-aged girls. The company's headquarters is in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. The company no longer produces its own products and as of at least 2018 licenses its name to smaller companies. In 2011, she launched a colorful line of clothing.

Collaborations

Frank partnered with

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

to release two versions of limited-release Reebok Classic Leathers shoes in 2017. In 2017, Frank was partnering with producer Jon Shestack to develop a movie inspired by her work. In 2019, Frank designed the logo for John Mayer's Instagram television series, ''Current Mood''.

Personal life

Frank is "notoriously elusive and private." In a 2012 interview video with

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...

, the company agreed to obscure her face. In 1994, Frank married James A. Green, who from 1990 to October 2005 was president and chief executive officer of Lisa Frank Incorporated. They had 2 sons, Hunter (born in 1995) and Forrest (born in 1999). She filed for divorce in September 2005. That same month, she sued to remove Green from the company, and he resigned the following month. The court agreed to assign control of the company to Lisa Frank.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Lisa Living people Cranbrook Educational Community alumni American women illustrators American illustrators American women chief executives 1955 births 21st-century American women