WebDevStudios COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson steps down after 13 years.

After 13 years, an opportunity arose, and I decided to sell my ownership stake and step down from my role as Chief Operating Officer and Partner at WebDevStudios. Today marks the official end of my time there, during which I had the privilege of leading our Engineering, Project Management, Design, and Strategy teams—helping to shape project delivery, technical execution, client strategy, and creative direction. This journey has been filled with inspiring colleagues, exciting challenges, and rewarding accomplishments that I will always cherish. To my colleagues, clients, and collaborators, thank you for your trust, support, and partnership. You have made this chapter of my life truly unforgettable. 🫶

Leading a Transformative Shift in WordPress Development

Since late November 2024, I’ve been actively transitioning from my role at WebDevStudios, working to ensure a smooth handover for the team. As I wrap up my time there, I’m especially proud of the legacy I’m leaving behind, most notably, spearheading a significant shift in how we approach WordPress development by building and launching a comprehensive block theme and full site editing (FSE) workflow, tools, and process.

Love it or hate it, the block editor (Gutenberg) and FSE have become the standard, and expected, user experience in WordPress. Those who haven’t embraced it are already behind. Leading this transition at WebDevStudios was one of the most impactful projects of my tenure. I envisioned it, built it from the ground up, and had the privilege of leading a brilliant, collaborative team through a company-wide evolution.

This initiative allowed me to lead organizational changes that impacted all business areas from rewriting sales documents to redesigning our entire workflow process. Our team developed a new modern design system that became the core foundation of all client projects through its integration into the WDS BT Theme. Our engineering workflows underwent a comprehensive transformation that affected code architecture together with version control and included updates to data migration strategies and DevOps practices. The effort required for this transformation proved both substantial and fulfilling because it changed our work processes and laid the groundwork for our future achievements. I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished together.

As a final milestone before stepping away, I had the joy of watching our first project built entirely on this new system—Freeman—win WP Engine’s 2025 Peak Performance Award! That win was extra special to me, as I directly led the project from start to finish, including handling the data migration to ensure a clean transition from a legacy mix of Elementor and Advanced Custom Fields to a sleek, performant block theme.

Seeing the impact of these changes take hold before I fully stepped away has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey. I’m grateful to have helped lay a foundation that will not just exist for today’s projects, but also for opportunities well into the future. What a wonderful note to close this chapter on!

Reconnecting With Purpose and Community

Switching gears—As I’ve been winding down my time at WebDevStudios, I’ve taken some much-needed time to thoughtfully explore what’s next for me. Over the past several months, I’ve been reconnecting with an earlier passion of mine—nursing. I kept my RN license active over the years, and recently, I decided to put it back to work. Stepping back into healthcare may not be what I ultimately decide to pursue full time, but it’s been a welcome distraction during this time of transition, one that has brought a different purpose into my life. So much so that no matter what I decide to do going forward, my involvement in nursing/healthcare will always remain an aspect either through part time work or volunteering.

Brushing off my RN license for some volunteer work over the holidays (and beyond). I kept my license active all these years.

Crazy that in the state of WI, the only thing required to keep a Registered Nurse license active is paying the renewal fee every 2 years. No continuing…

— LSW 💙 (@LisaSabinWilson) October 6, 2024

Rejoining the nursing profession has brought me a renewed sense of purpose alongside meaningful new friendships while bringing me back to the essential value of showing up for each other, especially in todays world. The opportunity to reconnect with care and community after twenty years in tech has turned into an unexpected yet essential blessing for me.

This time away from the tech industry has strengthened my perspective on what truly matters in life and why.  My return to in-person teamwork revealed to me how much I have missed this experience after two decades spent working remotely. The experience of working face-to-face with colleagues in a collaborative setting has really been satisfying.

I know that in similar circumstances, not everyone can make such a pivot, so I am profoundly grateful and definitely glad I kept my license active all these years!

Looking Ahead: Open to New Adventures

As I take some much-needed time to rest and refocus, I am thoughtfully exploring new opportunities—particularly in leadership, consulting, strategy, and team development, where I thrive in helping organizations build strong foundations for success. I’ve spent my career focused on streamlining operations, improving processes, building strong client relationships, and leading great teams. I’m excited to connect with progressive, people-first organizations that care about innovation, inclusivity, and making a real difference.

Let’s Stay Connected

To my teams at WebDevStudios—past and present—I am incredibly proud of YOU. It has been an honor to work alongside such a diverse and talented group of human beings. Wherever life takes you, know that I’ll always be cheering you on and confident in your success. If you ever need anything from me, you know where to find me—don’t hesitate to reach out.

For now, I’m consulting on select projects and pursuing personal interests while exploring what’s next. Let’s connect! 🚀