Before coming to North Carolina State University, she was an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Vermont. She has a joint doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy and Comparative and International Education. She has two master’s degrees: the first in Business Administration and the second in Teaching. Her bachelor’s degree is in Economics. Lisa enjoys comparing educational systems internationally, and has traveled to Mexico, Ghana, Brazil, Hong Kong, and South Africa. Her primary research interest, however, is urban school reform through alternative approaches to schooling. She focuses her work on combatting the harmful effects of Poverty in Education, the Ethics of Caring and Mindfulness in Education. Her goal is to positively impact education and educational outcomes for disenfranchised youth.