President of The Propel Center and Strategic Advisor to the US Secretary of Education

With roles as a CEO, President, Urban Superintendent, C-Suite Leader, and Executive Coach/ Advisor, Dr. Lisa Herring embodies the spirit of ingenuity, paving the way as a national trailblazer in education and innovation. In her current roles as the President of The Propel Center and Strategic Advisor to the US Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, Lisa invests in reimagining learning, innovative leadership development, and curating extraordinary corporate partnerships with learning institutions.

Supported by founding funders Apple and Southern Company, The Propel Center is the country's first HBCU technology/innovation hub designed to work with HBCUs and industry partners across the country to cultivate mutually innovative career opportunities for scholars and industry partners. As Strategic Advisor to the US Secretary of Education, Dr. Herring helps shape the department’s strategy to engage state and local officials to complement the Department's call to action to "Raise the Bar: Lead the World", designed to transform education and unite around what truly works—based on decades of experience and research—to advance educational equity and excellence.

With a wealth of experience spanning public, private, urban, and rural settings, and possessing successful experience as a K-12 district leader, Dr. Herring has garnered recognition for her steadfast leadership driving districts toward equitable, measurable, and accountable improvements. She stands at the forefront of a movement dedicated to propelling students to new heights of academic achievement, ensuring that every background is represented and celebrated. In her most recent transition out of urban superintendency, she celebrates improving systems that she led by first healing organizational culture and establishing measurable outcomes. The Atlanta Public School System, where she held her last superintendency, celebrated under her leadership, the highest graduation rate in the 150-year history of the organization, in spite of leading and innovating during a global pandemic.

Dr. Herring eagerly desires to share strategy, coach through complications, and develop dynamic, passionate leaders and organizations dedicated to joining a movement to change the face of education and lead the world through innovation.