The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) is excited to introduce Lisa McDonald as our new Vice President of School Success. Lisa will assume this vital position in July, bringing with her almost 30 years of devoted service to public education, with a significant focus on charter schools for the past 18 years. In her new role, she will lead GCSA’s School Success division where she will oversee and deliver critical trainings and services directly to schools and governing board members.
Lisa was co-founder of Brighten Academy Charter School (BACS) in Douglasville, which opened in 2006. She has served as Brighten’s Principal and Executive Director for the last 16 years. During her leadership, Lisa planned and implemented expansion of the school, which helped the school grow from 240 students to about 815 students today. She also led the initiative to procure bond refinancing and to relocate and build a new facility to accommodate for the school’s growth. To support retention and attracting talent, she also developed and oversaw a successful state approved preschool program that provided a feeder to BACS in its early years.
Lisa’s talent as a charter leader has led to many awards and accolades. She was nominated Young Professional of the Year in 2012. BACS was awarded Georgia Charter School of the Year in 2014, and she was named Georgia Charter Leader of the year in 2015 and was honored with the “Shoot for the Moon Award,” as well as nomination for the national EL Education “Silverberg Leadership Award” for successfully impacting student achievement outcomes. She has also served as an EL Education School Leader Mentor, helping schools across the nation implement strategic based school improvement designed to enhance academic and achievement outcomes for all students.
Lisa‘s leadership ensured that Brighten consistently demonstrated high academic achievement and growth, and thus, under her direction, it has achieved AdvancedEd SACS/CASI Accreditation and EL School National Credentialing. The school serves as a national demonstration site, and frequently mentors other leaders in Georgia and nationally. She has also served as an external reviewer of other schools by AdvancedEd SACS/CASI, was invited to present to Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Funding Task Force and served on the Leadership Douglas Team through the local Chamber of Commerce.
Lisa holds an Education Specialist degree in Charter School Leadership through GCSA’s CharterLeader Program in partnership with Kennesaw State University and earned a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from American College of Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Program Service Learning and a Georgia Educator Certificate from Mercer University. She also earned Gifted In-Field and Dyslexia Endorsement Certification.
Lisa looks forward to leveraging her expertise in school operations and governance to benefit all GCSA members, and she will be reaching out to school leaders in July to introduce herself and assess new and ongoing school support needs.
