LISA M. WILTSHIRE
Nashville,TN
Summary
Entrepreneurial and creative Founder passionate about turning innovative ideas into tangible results. Experienced formulating and executing strategic plans, creating new products and services, and developing business opportunities. Track record of multiple successful business ventures and leading teams of professionals to maximize profits and deliver success.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder & President
Early Learning Collaborative
2020.01 - Current
- Advise a variety of clients, advocacy organizations, non-profits, schools, districts, and education companies to develop and sustain public and private financing, advocate for policies that support mission-critical work, design early learning curriculum & improve teaching practices, and lead collective impact efforts to effectively problem-solve child care challenges
Policy Director
Tennesseans for Quality Early Education
2017.04 - 2019.12
- Co-founded an advocacy organization to improve educational outcomes for children, birth – 3rd grade
- Developed legislative & policy agendas that resulted in $200+ mm in funding for home visiting, pre-k & literacy programs, statewide roll-out of parent engagement programs, and research-practice partnerships with Vanderbilt University
- Recruited and led a statewide policy council comprised of 85+ education, business & non-profit leaders to develop and advocate for early education policies
- Facilitated Day on the Hill meetings, testimonials, and policy briefings for state legislators
- Created the learning agenda for Tennessee’s first bipartisan Early Education Caucus
- Cultivated partnerships with state agency leaders, advocacy organizations, research institutions and grassroots constituencies to create a 30,000+ member early education coalition
- Developed and published multiple policy briefs, white papers, op-eds
Executive Director, Office of Early Learning
Tennessee Department of Education
2015.08 - 2017.04
- Led and managed the Office of Early Learning with direct oversight of the department’s programs serving children, ages 0-5, and their families and an annual budget of $300 million+
- Created a competitive grant program to allocate $85 million annually to 120+ districts for Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K program serving 18,000+ students statewide
- Administered, assessed, and managed Tennessee’s $70 million Preschool Development Grant
- Expanded and improved special needs services for pre-k students
- Redesigned the Head Start State Collaborative Office to facilitate collaboration across programs and co-locate health services for enrolled children
- Expanded access to Tennessee’s Early Intervention Services for infants and toddlers with special needs and health concerns
Director of Early Learning Innovation
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
2013.07 - 2015.07
- Created a comprehensive, multi-year pre-k expansion and improvement plan for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) that resulted in a $35 million federal Preschool Development Grant allocated to professional coaching for pre-k teachers, wrap-around services for pre-k families, and expansion of pre-k programs in high-poverty zip codes
- Established three new Early Learning Centers (Ross ELC, Bordeaux ELC & Casa Azafran ELC) to operate as hubs of innovation in exemplary early education teaching and instructional practices
- Hired, coached & evaluated each ELC’s Director/Principal
- Evaluated & selected the curriculum & assessments used in each ELC
- Designed & refurbished the school buildings & learning environments for each ELC
- Managed budgets and operations for all three ELCs
- Developed partnerships to provide enrichment programs for ELC-enrolled children
- Established a research-practice partnership with Vanderbilt University that produced eight core teaching practices directly linked to improved literacy & numeracy outcomes
Assistant to the Director for Strategic Planning
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
2010.07 - 2013.07
- Advised the Director of Schools in the fiscal & programmatic allocation of $40 mm+ Race to the Top dollars awarded by the U.S
- Department of Education
- Developed fiscal protocols for grant distribution and reporting
- Evaluated grant applications for strategic plan alignment and impact
- Researched and developed new ideas from and for the senior leadership team
- Led the district in the creation of a 5-year strategic plan
Teacher
P.S. 363, The Neighborhood School
2004.08 - 2005.06
- Taught 3rd and 4th grade students from predominantly low-income and English-learner backgrounds in one of New York’s first teacher-led, public charter schools on the Lower East Side of Manhattan
- Created a literacy curriculum rooted in social studies and immigration
Teacher and Assistant Teacher
Bank Street School for Children
2002.08 - 2004.08
- Taught pre-k and kindergarten students from predominantly middle- and high-income backgrounds in one of New York’s premier private elementary schools on the Upper West Side of Manhattan
Senior Associate
Park Avenue Equity Partners, LLC
1999.11 - 2002.06
- Identified, valued, and evaluated investment opportunities for a $110 million private equity fund focused on middle-market manufacturing and technology companies
Financial Analyst
Banc of America Securities, LLC
1996.03 - 1999.10
- Performed multiple valuation analyses for companies in diverse economic sectors including retail, consumer products, and media and telecommunications
Education
Doctoral Candidate in the Leadership & Learning in Organizations Department -
Peabody College at Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN12.2024
Masters in Early Childhood Education -
Bank Street College of Education
New York, NY12.2007
Completion of Master’s in Early Childhood Education -
Peabody College at Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN08.2007
Bachelors in Developmental Psychology and Business Management -
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL12.1994
Skills
- Strategic planning and systems design
- Financial management/budget oversight
- Leadership development
- Fundraising and grant writing
- Policy development
- Curriculum development
- Analytical writing
- Public speaking/media communications
- Team Collaboration
- Program Administration
- Business Acumen
- Strategic Thinking
Professional Workgroups
- The Education Trust’s Resource Equity Task Force. 2020-21. Advisor for the development of an action-oriented advocacy agenda to improve equitable education funding in Tennessee.
- Blueprint for Early Childhood Success. 2016-21. Co-chair and participant in workgroups focused on increasing access to high-quality early childhood professional development and training for teachers, improving teacher pay, and improving teacher leadership opportunities.
- Metro Council Child Care Committee. 2021. Currently serve as co-chair of Metro Council’s newly appointed committee to recommend municipal strategies that improve access to affordable, high-quality child care for Davidson County families.
- Tennessee Department of Education’s Early Learning Task Force. 2018-19. Advised the Office of Early Learning on how to improve early childhood instruction in pre-k and k.
- Mayor’s Early Childhood Taskforce. 2016-18. Member of Governance Commission. Appointed by former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry to provide recommendations for the expansion and improvement of quality early education programs in Davidson County.
- Tennessee Department of Education’s Assessment Taskforce 3.0. 2017-18. Member of Taskforce commissioned to recommend improvements to the department of education’s K-12 assessments, policies, and practices.
- Leadership Nashville Class of 2016. Participated in a year-long leadership program for community, government, and corporate leaders in Nashville. Currently serve on the education committee, former co-chair of the education committee.
- Tennessee Department of Education’s Early Literacy Council. 2015-16. Leader of Council charged to create a definition for third grade literacy and reading proficiency and a detailed roadmap for how to best teach language development and early literacy in Tennessee.
Community Boards
- Vanderbilt Peabody’s CHALK (Coaching to Help Activate Learning for Kids) research project. 2018-21. Advisory Board member. CHALK develops real-time technology tools for pre-k coaches and teachers to improve instructional quality.
- Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund. Board member & committee chair, 2012-2018. The Fund awards approx. $2-3 mm annually in grants to community organizations in Middle Tennessee to support education, low-income youth, and wildlife, land, and water conservation.
- Plant the Seed. Founding Board member & Fundraising and Development Chair, 2016-2020. Plant the Seed is a nonprofit program that creates outdoor classrooms and science-based curriculum via community and school gardens to educate and empower young children.
- Metropolitan Action Commission. Commissioner between 2016 and 2018. The Metro Action Commission provides support to families living in poverty through community services and early education, including Head Start and Early Head Start.
- Homework Hotline. Board member, 2017-18. Homework Hotline provides one‐on‐one free tutoring by phone to Tennessee students.
Timeline
Founder & President
Early Learning Collaborative
2020.01 - Current
Policy Director
Tennesseans for Quality Early Education
2017.04 - 2019.12
Executive Director, Office of Early Learning
Tennessee Department of Education
2015.08 - 2017.04
Director of Early Learning Innovation
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
2013.07 - 2015.07
Assistant to the Director for Strategic Planning
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
2010.07 - 2013.07
Teacher
P.S. 363, The Neighborhood School
2004.08 - 2005.06
Teacher and Assistant Teacher
Bank Street School for Children
2002.08 - 2004.08
Senior Associate
Park Avenue Equity Partners, LLC
1999.11 - 2002.06
Financial Analyst
Banc of America Securities, LLC
1996.03 - 1999.10
Doctoral Candidate in the Leadership & Learning in Organizations Department -
Peabody College at Vanderbilt University
Masters in Early Childhood Education -
Bank Street College of Education
Completion of Master’s in Early Childhood Education -
Peabody College at Vanderbilt University
Bachelors in Developmental Psychology and Business Management -
University of Florida
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