Dr. Lisa Herring was superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) in Georgia from 2020 to 2023. The district serves approximately 48,000 students across 87 learning sites. As superintendent, Herring implemented a range of supports to boost achievement in reading and math; gave teachers and school leaders resources in an effort to help all students become academically proficient; and promoted equitable learning opportunities throughout the district.

Under her leadership, the district increased its graduation rate to an all-time high of 84 percent in 2022. APS also established The Center for Equity and Social Justice and became a one-to-one district where both mobile devices and hot spots were available for all students.

Prior to Atlanta, Herring was superintendent of Birmingham City Schools in Alabama; chief academic officer for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky; and deputy superintendent of academics for the Charleston County School District in South Carolina.

Herring  earned her doctorate in educational administration from Georgia Southern University; a master’s of education in school counseling and an education specialist degree in counselor education from the University of South Carolina, Columbia; and a bachelor’s in English with a minor in education from Spelman College. She also holds a school leadership certification from the University of Georgia and participated in the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard School of Business Public Education Leadership Project.