Lisa Gordon graduated as valedictorian of her class at Miramar High School in Florida as well as held several leadership positions within the Student Government, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Science Honor Society as President, and Yearbook as Editor-in-Chief. In addition, she was active in dance and flag football. During her high school career, she was heavily involved in community service activities such as coaching Middle School Step and Dance teams and volunteering in Miami-Dade Teen Court and Memorial Manor Nursing Home, as well as creating, implementing, and pursuing projects to help others. One of her favorite experiences during high schools was participating in MITE2S, a minority engineering, entrepreneurship, and science program held at MIT.

Lisa went on to earn her Bachelors at Harvard University in Sociology and African American Studies. She continued pursuing leadership while in college through her involvement as President of the Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW) and the Xi Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. At Harvard, she discovered a passion for issues related to urban education which were reflected in her senior thesis “Academic Engagement and Instructional Methods.” She would later see her love of education issues reflected in her community service projects and academic coursework. She kept up with her love of arts by directing the Caribbean Club Dance Troupe and executive producing the annual Eleganza Fashion Show.

After graduating from Harvard, Lisa went on to pursue research and analysis positions with Achievement First and Harlem Children’s Zone which enabled her to refine her research and career interests. Lisa completed her Masters in Sociology of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focus was on policy reform and her coursework centered on using qualitative and quantitative approaches to addressing prevalent issues in urban education. Lisa also worked full time as a data analyst for The New Teacher Project, a national non-profit focused on closing the achievement gap by training and hiring quality teachers and identifying systemic barriers that keep urban schools from hiring and keeping the best teachers in the classrooms that need them the most.

Lisa’s hobbies include taking dance classes, cooking international cuisine, image consulting and brand management, writing poetry, photojournalistic photography, and her ministry.