Lisa R. McNeill
Houston,USA
Summary
Professional Development Specialist with extensive experience in designing and delivering training programs that enhance team performance. Proven ability to create customized learning modules and facilitate impactful workshops. Track record of driving employee engagement and productivity while fostering collaborative environments. Experienced in remote management across large regions with significant travel commitments.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Special Programs Coordinator
The Varnett Public School
Houston, Texas
08.2021 - Current
- Design and implemented professional learning programs for teachers and administrators to improve instructional effectiveness.
- Lead compliance efforts for ESSER III, TCLAS and Gifted & Talented programs, ensuring alignment with state and federal policies.
- Provide leadership coaching and mentorship to educators, fostering growth in instructional strategies and leadership development.
- Coordinate student recognition programs and school-wide academic initiatives to celebrate student success.
- Analyze program data to assess effectiveness and made evidence-based recommendations for improvements.
- Lead end-to-end oversight of a multimillion-dollar grant portfolio, including proposal development, budget forecasting, compliance monitoring, and final reporting.
- Author numerous competitive grants, increasing total annual funding by 40%.
- Partner with legal and finance teams to ensure contract terms, deliverables, and invoicing adhered to policy.
- Establish rigorous tracking systems and cross-functional workflows to ensure adherence to grant requirements and timely submission of progress reports.
- Create and oversee documentation and audit readiness for all procurement activities related to grant-funded initiatives.
Accelerated Learning Program Lead
The Varnett Public School
Houston, Texas
08.2021 - Current
- Developed and managed educator training programs, ensuring alignment with ESSER III, TCLAS, and ADSY grant objectives.
- Directed procurement and vendor selection for professional learning programs, including evaluation of supplier proposals and contract negotiation in line with ESSER III and TCLAS requirements.
- Developed systems for vendor compliance monitoring and performance reporting.
- Collaborated cross-functionally to review and approve educational services providers, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
- Led the design and execution of professional learning events, increasing teacher participation and leadership opportunities.
- Tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure program success, using insights to enhance teacher development initiatives.
- Organized large-scale educator workshops, conferences, and recognition events, improving stakeholder engagement.
- Created and implemented vendor tracking systems to monitor contract performance, compliance, and service quality.
Educational Services Liaison
Be A Champion, Inc.
Houston, Texas
07.2018 - 07.2021
- Lead the non-profits educational services division as a subject-matter expert in learning practices and pedagogy.
- Hire, engage and develop a team of 'best in class' educators to be passionate and committed professionals.
- Partner with school districts and charter schools with a shared desire to provide the best educational experiences with a team of highly qualified staff.
- Cultivate positive relationships with vendors, state licensing authorities, community contacts and corporate partners.
- Leverage business, sales and marketing savvy to grow the organization’s presence in the community.
- Strong understanding of program evaluation, observations and assessments for both program staff, teachers, and corporate entities.
- Knowledge of pertinent laws, codes, policies, regulations and personnel processes.
- Adept at best practices in teaching and supervising children and programming.
- Collaborates with internal and external personnel for implementing and maintaining services and programs.
- Lead quality assurance staff, program staff, program operations personnel, services, and implementation of programs and processes for providing services within established timeframes and within compliance requirements.
- Creates meetings, workshops, seminars, or trainings for areas managers, BAC field staff, school personnel, and other administration for identifying issues, gaining knowledge, providing information and supporting site staff.
- Prepares a variety of documents and reports (e.g. attendance, budget, daily activity, daily program content, etc.) for providing written support and conveying information.
- Researches a variety of topics (e.g. grants, community service projects, etc.) to maintain knowledge of trends and changes and making recommendations.
- Responds to inquiries and issues related to field staff, district personnel, public and program participants for providing information and direction as may be required.
- Increased revenue by 200%.
Director
KINDERCARE EDUCATION
Katy, Texas
06.2017 - 09.2018
- Lead the early childhood learning center in serving children, teachers and staff in the overhaul of a once-thriving center.
- Hire, engage and develop a team of 'best in class' educators to be passionate and committed professionals.
- Partner with parents with a shared desire to provide the best care and education for their children.
- Cultivate positive relationships with families, teachers, state licensing authorities, community contacts and corporate partners.
- Leverage business, sales and marketing savvy to grow the organization’s presence in the community.
- Strong understanding of early childhood evaluation observations and assessments for both teachers and children.
- Develop and manage operational and educational budget, local policies and protocols for the center.
- Increased enrollment by 60 % in less than six months.
- Increased engagement survey results from low-performing to high-achieving within four months of accepting position.
- Mentored assistant directors and program specialists in their roles supporting curriculum and professional development as well as operational excellence.
- Guided the center through the NAC re-accreditation process to award.
- Maintained 4-Star rating under Texas Rising Star by following best practices and standards for early education.
- Supervise, mentor, and coach teachers and other staff in all aspects of child care and early learning education.
- Knowledge of Texas Minimum Standards, NAEYC Professional Development Standards, Texas Core Competencies and Early Learning Guidelines.
- Facilitates to ensure hiring staff manage employee on-boarding, employee relations issues, orientations, performance reviews, and off-boarding activities.
- Wrote and won Collaborative for Children/Hurricane Harvey Grant and Community Garden Grant.
Education Director
KALEIDOSCOPE SOLUTIONS
Spring, Texas
07.2015 - 06.2017
- Lead the organization in serving schools and districts across the state of Texas in increasing student and teacher performance based on current accountability indicators.
- Served as campus-based administrator in an Early Childhood through 12th grade charter school.
- Monitored and managed employee and sub-contractor behavior to ensure high quality outcome and high ROI as well as ensuring client satisfaction.
- Successful in serving populations of predominantly bilingual, ESL, African-American and low socio-economic communities.
- Managed all stages of requisition activity for contractual work with various entities.
- Served as the lead for three charter schools in the planning, program design, and implementation of programs in Texas.
- Evaluated school day and afterschool programs.
- Worked with Texas Charter School Association.
- Recruit, hire and lead a staff in developing and promoting school turnaround for Early Childhood, elementary and secondary school districts and charter schools in the areas of core content, special education, STEM implementation and other specialized programs.
- Work directly with campus and district leaders in developing and implementing coaching and mentoring programs for instructional and leadership staff including goal setting, program implementation and evaluation.
- Lead staff in evaluation of existing professional development and implementation of learning modules.
- Develop and manage professional development plans, training, budgets, policies, and protocols.
- Strong focus on increasing literacy, building academic vocabulary and improving comprehension.
- Negotiate, prepare, administer, and monitor MOU/MOA’s with clients.
- Participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.
- Mentor and coach academic professionals including classroom teachers, principals, instructional coaches, and superintendents.
Vice President of Education
WATERMAN STEELE GROUP
Houston, Texas
11.2013 - 07.2015
- Served as a consultant and oversaw the company’s education and technology clients as the front-runner of the community engagement and empowerment team.
- Spearheaded several projects for national clients in the education and architectural design arena while simultaneously building relationships with key stakeholders several districts throughout Texas.
- Facilitated all community relations between the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) and the public.
- Assisted CEO and CFO to facilitate program Standard Operating Procedures training and compliance.
- Served as primary liaison between firm and K-12 school districts, charter, and public and private schools throughout the state of Texas for the evaluation of the school day and after school programs.
- Developed new business with Texas public and charter school districts.
- Developed and maintained relationships with superintendents and other district administrators.
- Developed operational guidelines and tool for HB 5 and TEA’s Community and Student Engagement Accountability System for evaluation of existing programs.
Regional Manager
TUTORS WITH COMPUTERS, LLC.
Austin, Texas
07.2011 - 08.2013
- East Texas field operations educational business leader for Supplemental Education Services (SES) tutoring organization under the provisions of No Child Left Behind.
- Oversaw and mentored area managers to maximize operational success in acquiring and growing number of students to tutor in Reading and Math using our online technology.
- Represent and uphold company standards in relationships with nine (9) area charter schools, school districts, local educational agencies (LEAs) and state education agencies (TEA) including frequent visits with campus and district SES coordinators, teachers, principals and superintendents.
- Act as liaison between corporate office, local centers and educational entities.
- Determine and maintain staffing needs based on operational requirements.
- Review and address situations within payroll budgets and inventory needs, with focus on ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and integrity.
- Conduct business development visits and presentations in Texas, New York and Louisiana as well as develop and implement training components for field representatives for two key projects.
- Ensure high ROI on all projects and programs that were developed by headquarters and implemented in the regions.
- Establish and maintain relationships with school/district personnel, district decision makers and community partners to improve academic achievement among students in ~30 participating Title I schools.
- Develop and direct teams to evaluate and prioritize market opportunities to maximize return on investment; plan and facilitate annual campaign to inform community members, enroll new students, engage current students, and maximize student academic achievement in math and reading competencies.
- Measure the success of the program by using student pre- and post-test evaluations to demonstrate specific student achievement.
- Management and supervision for a field staff of three (3) area managers, up to 150 seasonal staff members and nine (9) learning centers across the greater Houston area and surrounding counties.
- Score of 98% on Compliance visit in first six months managing field operations.
- Proven track record of closing the achievement gap for student participants (Source: Houston ISD Research & Accountability Department).
Assistant Principal
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Houston, Texas
10.1999 - 07.2011
- Supervised a team of educational and business professionals including para-professionals, nurses, social workers, and other organizational support staff as well as instructional staff.
- Oversaw a student body of approximately 800 - 1000 learners in early childhood through 5th grades.
- Monitored and delivered curriculum and instructional support.
- Devised and coordinated scheduling, employed problem-solving skills and resolved conflict amongst various sectors of the organization, including parents, students, school and district, and community members.
- Created and presented training modules for staff development.
- Facilitated meetings and other group activities.
- Cultivated and encouraged a supportive environment to reinforce the organization’s standards, policies, and goals.
- Assisted with the creation and maintenance of a $4 million-dollar budget from local, state and federal sources.
- Directed internal and external resources.
- Collaborated with vendors, district personnel, and other entities to secure instructional supplies and materials.
- Provided guidance and assistance to key personnel for all aspects of school design and implementation.
- Developed a program for parents desiring to learning English as part of the parental involvement component of Title I.
- Interim Principal at various periods during my tenure.
- Oversight of day-to-day operations of all school functions.
- Developed and facilitated classroom training modules for instructional staff.
- Assessed and evaluated programs and employees utilizing state-approved appraisal systems.
- Employed Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) in the management of serious student and teacher crises.
- Conducted internal audits of campus-wide departments including Gifted & Talented and Special Education Programs, Discipline, and Textbooks.
- Oversaw cultural diversity programs including those promoting Asian-Pacific, Latin-American and African-American Heritage awareness.
Program Coordinator
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Houston, Texas
10.1999 - 07.2011
- Delegated tasks to teachers and vendors; created and implemented organization goals; provided resources to meet program goals; developed activities for student and parent groups; engaged families, teachers and communities to support the after-school program; documented and balanced budgets; and performed other tasks as needed to support the federally funded 21st Century After School Program.
- Oversight of day-to-day operations of program functions and program evaluation.
- Evaluated program effectiveness on an on-going basis.
- Maintained all grant-related documentation for audit purposes.
Education
Nano-Environmental Engineering For Educator Program -
Rice University
Houston, TXEducation Policy Fellow -
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TXM. Ed. - Educational Administration
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, TXNon-degree graduate coursework - Elementary Teacher Certification
University of St. Thomas
Houston, TXBA - Political Science
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MDSkills
- Conflict resolution and dispute management
- Performance reporting and KPI tracking
- Team leadership and training
- Program evaluation
- Professional development
- Vendor evaluation and management
- Early childhood education
- Mentoring and coaching
- Compliance and accountability
- Business development and relationship management
- Data-driven analytics and analysis
- Grant writing
Affiliations
- Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Houston Association of School Administrators
- American Bar Association – Dispute Resolution Section
- Texas Mediator Credentialing Association
- Morgan State University Alumni Association, Vice President
- Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society
- National After School Association
Committees And Volunteer Work
- Harris County Dispute Resolution Center
- Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services
- Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
- Jeffry S. Abrams National Mediator Competition
- Alief Independent School District - District of Innovation
Certification
- Texas Childcare Directors License
- Classroom Teacher, Elementary Self-Contained
- Gifted and Talented Instruction
- Principal (Mid-Management)
- Nationally Credentialed Mediator
- CPR/First Aid for Pediatrics and Adults
Technology Integration
- Developed and implemented AI-assisted instructional plans using platforms like ChatGPT to design journals, interactive learning guides, and professional development materials.
- Demonstrated proficiency in prompt engineering to elicit targeted outputs from conversational AI tools, including role-based and constraint-driven design for diverse stakeholder audiences.
- Used AI to automate content workflows, reducing manual workload and accelerating time-to-publish for internal tools, Amazon KDP content, and wellness frameworks.
- Created differentiated, mobile- and print-friendly educational resources through AI collaboration tailored to audiences with health or dietary considerations (e.g., IBS, hypothyroidism).
- Facilitated AI-driven innovation in learning design, leveraging generative tools to improve clarity, tone, and accessibility for professional learning content.
Instructional Technology Expertise
- Expert in BookNook, Zearn, IXL, and Amira to support accelerated instruction mandates under HB 4545 and HB 1416, ensuring students received equitable, high-impact interventions.
- Designed, tracked, and evaluated supplemental accelerated instruction (SAI) programs through real-time analytics, usage dashboards, and platform-aligned diagnostics.
- Trained and coached educators to implement digital learning platforms with fidelity, achieving compliance with state laws and improved student performance.
- Coordinated and facilitated large-scale educator workshops on integrating these platforms into daily instruction, leading to increased teacher engagement and usage rates.
- Created professional development blueprints aligning tech tools to TEKS, RTI frameworks, and grant-funded instructional models.
Management Profile
Data Disaggregation, Conflict & Dispute Resolution, Team Leadership & Training, Program Evaluation, Education Outreach, Professional Development, Early Childhood Education, Policy & Procedure Administration, Mentoring & Coaching, Compliance & Accountability, Business & Relationship Development, Data Driven Analytics, Highly accomplished professional with diverse experience poised to transition a solid background in executive and upper management set to excel in a variety of organizations. Possess the ability to creatively and effectively provide solutions to conflicts and disputes through various resolution methods. Superior consistency in the development, implementation and evaluation of curriculum, procedures and policy guidelines and program design following SOP and best practices. Well-developed interpersonal, organizational and discipline skills to promote a collaborative team environment. Administration skills: communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking. Coordinate with management and executive teams and execute daily functions and operations. Sensitive to diverse backgrounds. Develop and maintain a cohesive and highly productive team environment. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Ability to negotiate successfully across cultural barriers. Strong leadership and coaching talents.
Professional Development
- Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS) Certified
- Advanced Mediation – Employee Relations
- Instructional Leadership Development (ILD) Certified
- School Administrator Skill Assessment (SASA)
- Personnel & Discipline Management
- US Department of Education Technical Grant Review
- Grant Writing for Non-Profits
- Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook)
- Early Childhood Standards
- Google Workspace
- SalesForce
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Special Programs Coordinator
The Varnett Public School
08.2021 - Current
Accelerated Learning Program Lead
The Varnett Public School
08.2021 - Current
Educational Services Liaison
Be A Champion, Inc.
07.2018 - 07.2021
Director
KINDERCARE EDUCATION
06.2017 - 09.2018
Education Director
KALEIDOSCOPE SOLUTIONS
07.2015 - 06.2017
Vice President of Education
WATERMAN STEELE GROUP
11.2013 - 07.2015
Regional Manager
TUTORS WITH COMPUTERS, LLC.
07.2011 - 08.2013
Assistant Principal
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
10.1999 - 07.2011
Program Coordinator
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
10.1999 - 07.2011
Nano-Environmental Engineering For Educator Program -
Rice University
Education Policy Fellow -
Texas Tech University
M. Ed. - Educational Administration
Prairie View A&M University
Non-degree graduate coursework - Elementary Teacher Certification
University of St. Thomas
BA - Political Science
Morgan State University
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