Print or download Dr. Herring's Bio here.       Dr. Lisa Herring brings a servant heart and more than 25 years of experience in education with her to Atlanta Public Schools as its new superintendent.

Embracing a passionate belief that education is the greatest equalizer, Dr. Herring believes in the inner strength, power, and talent of all children. Success, she says, does not rest on where we begin in life but how each of us maximizes our talents and pursues our purpose. The concept is critical in serving, supporting and educating children and future leaders.

 A Macon, Georgia, native and graduate of both Spelman College and Georgia Southern University, Dr. Herring established her professional career by teaching in both public and private schools in urban and rural settings. These experiences allow her to impact the lives of students from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.

 Dr. Herring comes to APS from Birmingham (Alabama) City Schools, where she led the district through a significant transformation by stabilizing leadership, improving system performance, and increasing student achievement. Under her leadership, BCS received its first award of full district accreditation after being under state takeover and conditional accreditation for several years. Her focus on instruction significantly reduced the number of failing schools as identified by the Alabama State Department of Education school report card.

 Among other accomplishments for Birmingham City Schools, Dr. Herring, in collaboration with its board, launched the system’s strategic plan, Force for Greatness 2018-2023; executed an organizational realignment to drive student achievement; increased organizational effectiveness; and established advisory groups to enhance stakeholder communication.

 She built strong civic and corporate partnerships to provide innovative and equitable opportunities for all students across the diverse Birmingham community. In collaboration with the city’s mayor and the United Way of Central Alabama CEO, she helped develop and launch The Birmingham Promise to offer new career and college opportunities for any graduate of Birmingham City Schools. In partnership with Apple, Alabama Power, Tech Birmingham, and city leadership, she collaborated to help design and implement ED FARM, a first-of-its-kind program to build technology skills in students, teachers, and community members. 

Prior to her tenure in Birmingham, Dr. Herring served as Chief Academic Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, a system with more than 100,000 students where she successfully restructured the academic division and led the district’s strategic plan. 

Before Louisville, she served as Deputy Superintendent of Academics for the Charleston County (South Caroline) School District, as well as Chief Academic Officer, Associate Superintendent for Instructional Support, and Executive Director of Student Support Services in the district.

Dr. Herring spent several years as a middle school counselor and in that role also served as a reading interventionist to support student progress. She then became Assistant Director of Student Support Services in DeKalb County where she led the district’s 300 elementary, middle, and high school guidance counselors, guidance directors, and graduation coaches.

Dr. Herring then served as the Director of Student Support Services in Bibb County, where she had once taught as an eighth-grade Language Arts teacher. She began her career in education as a creative writing teacher in Pittsburgh and completed her observational field work at Therrell High School in APS. During her time at Spelman, Herring also volunteered and worked at Warren Memorial Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta.

She received her bachelor of arts degree from Spelman College, master and specialist degrees from the University of South Carolina, leadership certification from the University of Georgia, and her doctorate from Georgia Southern University. Dr. Herring completed Harvard University’s Public Education and Leadership Program and Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School Improvement. She is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Georgia and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Most important, she is the proud mother of one child, her daughter, Imani, also a graduate of Spelman College.