Dr. Lisa Herring is superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) in Georgia, a district of approximately 48,000 students across 87 learning sites. As superintendent, Herring has implemented a range of critical supports to boost achievement in reading and math; is giving teachers and school leaders resources in an effort to help all students become academically proficient; and is promoting equitable learning opportunities throughout the district.

In addition, Herring aims to ensure all APS students have strong postsecondary pathways and graduate high school enrolled in a college or university, employed, enlisted in the military, or working as an entrepreneur. 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 are 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 believes in the inner strength and talent of every child and that educators must meet each student at their beginning and guide them in the direction of their purpose. She 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.