Dr. Lisa Herring
Board Member
Dr. Lisa Herring is currently the Strategic Advisor to the United States Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, with the mandate to help shape the department’s strategy to engage state and local officials in accelerating academic recovery. Dr. Herring also serves as the president of the Propel Center; a one of a kind, innovation and technology hub designed solely to serve Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Propel leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver unparalleled career development resources directly to HBCU students and faculty nationwide, empowering them to dynamically accelerate their career trajectories.
Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration, she was superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools (APS), where her purpose-driven work led to significant achievement in educational outcomes as evidenced by high enrollment and retention rate for young boys and girls from underserved communities and overall improvement in scholastic aptitude test scores. During Dr. Herring’s tenure, Atlanta Public Schools achieved the highest graduation rate in its 150 year history at 86%, exceeding the state of Georgia’s 2023 graduation rate. She boldly led Atlanta Public Schools through the Covid-19 pandemic, where she was instrumental in working with state and local government health officials in designing and implementing strategies to stem the spread of communicable diseases. Before leading Atlanta Public Schools, she served as the superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools in Alabama, deputy superintendent for the Charleston County School district in South Carolina; and leadership positions in Atlanta’s DeKalb County Schools and private schools in Pittsburgh. She established national models geared at creating long-term student achievement and expanded career pathways through noted corporate and community partnerships. She has over 25 years of experience in the education sector, and leadership of several research and community development organizations.
Dr. Herring obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College, master and specialist degrees from the University of South Carolina and doctorate degree from Georgia Southern University. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.