Drena Kusari connects transportation with technology to improve the lives of millions in our communities. As the general manager for the Southwest Region at Lyft, Kusari leads growth strategy, marketing and operations. Under her leadership, Lyft has added more than $100 million in economic value in Phoenix and ridership has grown more than eight times.
Paving the road for females in technology, Kusari obtained her MBA at Harvard Business School and has worked in the tech-enabled services for 10 years. Before Lyft, she worked at Infusionsoft, an SaaS company. Kusari was also an analyst at Goldman Sachs and a senior strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company advising Fortune 500 companies.
Kusari is a dedicated leader and mentor in the community. She volunteers on multiple boards (Junior Achievement of Arizona, Harvard Business School Club of Arizona, Visit Scottsdale and the ASU Research Park) and has served as a mentor for Social Venture Partners. Kusari has also served as a judge in the March Venture Madness competition and is a member ASU’s Women in Philanthropy group. She serves as a mentor to young girls interested in STEM and technology careers. Kusari is a mentor and advisor at Gjirafa Lab, one of the leading technology incubators in the Balkans.
In 2017, Kusari was awarded the Young Professional ATHENA, recognized as Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and was a Community Hero Finalist in Phoenix Business Journal’s Top Tech Awards. In 2018, Drena was recognized as an Outstanding Woman in Business by the Phoenix Business Journal and one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona Business by AZ Big Media.
Kusari has been adamant about engaging Lyft in the Phoenix community. She propels Lyft’s mission by forging partnerships to support community initiatives and fundraise for underserved communities and has worked with more than 75 nonprofits.
Company Name: Lyft
Main Office Address: 4050 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Suite 38, Phoenix, AZ 85040
Phone: (480) 252-4787
Website: lyft.com
Number of Locations in Metro Phoenix: n/a
Number of Employees: 40 (locally)
City Nationally Headquartered: San Francisco
No. of Years with Firm: 2 1/2
Year Established Locally: 2016
Specialties/Services: Rideshare, Transportation
