Who we are
REVIVESTRATEGIES is a woman-owned, HUB Zone certified small business consulting firm specializing in community development, change management, and much more.
Betsy is the co-founding owner and President of Revive Strategies.
After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2007 with a Master's degree in Urban and Environmental Planning, Betsy moved to New York City where she worked in affordable housing at NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. For the next 8 years she worked first as a Project Manager in rehabilitation and new construction, then as a Business Analyst in agile software development. In 2015, Betsy moved back to Charlottesville where she was a Project Manager for Piedmont Housing Alliance, a local affordable housing organization. Next came Business Analyst in Project Management and Continuous Improvement at the University of Virginia's School of Medicine. She currently works as a Process Improvement Coach at Augusta Health in Fishersville, Virginia.
Betsy is passionate about Lean, Process Improvement and Change Management. Specifically, she loves helping people solve their problems and successfully implement solutions. Her tools include Kaizen events, process mapping, the A3 problem solving worksheet, and PROSCI change management tools.
Betsy lives in Charlottesville with her business partner-husband, four beautiful cats, and large flower-pollinator garden.
Jason Espie, AICP, is the Principal and Co-founder of Revive Strategies LLC, a community development and planning consulting firm, and a certified SAM HubZone Small Business. After nearly two decades working for Renaissance Planning and then EPR-PC, he and Betsy Lawson have founded their own firm.
Jason has committed his career to helping communities plan, manage change, assess options, craft integrated and inclusive solutions, build value, and create vibrant and healthy places.
While working for his previous firms, EPR-PC and Renaissance Planning, Jason managed large teams on multi-year, complex federal contracts, primarily for the US EPA Office of community Revitalization Smart Growth technical assistance programs. These programs deliver tailored, economic revitalization-oriented plans for more than 140 communities nationwide. He personally has visited and served more than 100+ communities and has managed the following US EPA and ARC programs: