Lisa is the Assistant Director in the Office of Advancement of Teaching and Learning and oversees the Academic Testing Center at URI. Last year, her study, Underrepresented and Overexposed: BIPOC Experiences with Anti-Racist Efforts in Predominantly White Institutions, was nominated for the CPED Dissertation in Practice Award.

Lisa was also former Assistant Director of the Office of Disability, Access, and Inclusion. As part of her work in disability justice, she created the START URI, a transition program for first-year college students on the spectrum, and was the lead administrator from conception to program execution.

Lisa has nearly 20 years of experience teaching students from kindergarten to college. This Fall she will be teaching URI 101 Planning for Academic Success, EDC 203 Mental Health First Aid, and UCS 160 Success in Higher Education as a part-time faculty member.

Point of Pride: I entered higher education as a first-generation college student at CCRI with a Pell Grant and a bus pass. Now I have the opportunity to work for a university dedicated to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Education is empowerment. I redefine success everyday - there is no one way to achieve your goals other than to persist. The rules change, the goal post moves, sometimes you have to choose between childcare and class or between books and gas money. And, it may seem that everyone else has it all figured out. Seek the truth, use resources, ask for help, and treat yourself with same compassion you would give to someone you love.

Trainings/Certifications: MHFA, SafeZone, Co-Chair Student Affairs JEDI Council, Member of the Student Success Team