Lisa joined the Institute as a Partner in August of 2023. With a career that includes chapters as a classroom teacher, a school leader and an advocate for school choice, believes that the challenges in education require creativity, bold thinking and tenacious optimism. Lisa spent two decades working as a teacher and administrator in traditional public schools before taking her first role with a charter school in 2013. Most recently, she was the School Leader then Executive Director at Renaissance Public School Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. She has worked with state and national organizations, presenting at conferences and facilitating ongoing educational leadership support initiatives. The fundamental belief driving her work is the belief that significant transformation is possible in public education—even with the current constraints. She has studied school models from across the country and around the world and is fascinated by research exploring the impact of poverty and trauma influence on human connection in and out of the classroom. Most recently she has worked with leadership teams focusing on strengthening the wellbeing of school leaders. She holds a BS in Elementary Education and a Masters of Arts in Educational Administration from Central Michigan University.