Lisa Coons

Coons was raised on a military base.[1] She completed a B.S. in secondary education (1998) and an M.A. in educational technology with a concentration in educational leadership (2003) from Wright State University.[2] She earned an Ed.S. in collaborative professional learning in 2014 at Lipscomb University.[2] Coons conducted her project, Improving Literacy for all Adolescents, under advisor Tammy Shutt. She earned an Ed.D. in learning organizations and strategic change in 2016 from Lipscomb University.[2] Her dissertation was titled, The Impact of the EDI Framework and Inquiry-based Learning Strategies on Student Achievement in Middle School. Jeanne Fain was her doctoral advisor.[2]

From August 2009 to April 2012, Coons was assistant superintendent of Ross Local Schools.[2] She was director of academics of LEAD Public Schools from April 2012 to July 2013.[2] Coons was a middle school supervisor at Sumner County Schools from July 2013 to September 2014.[2] From October 2014 to August 2016, she was executive director of instructional leadership at the Tennessee Department of Education.[2] Coons was executive officer of district priority schools at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools from August 2017 to June 2019.[2] Coons became the chief academic officer of the Tennessee Department of Education in June 2019.[2]

In March 2023, Coons was named by Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin as the incoming 27th Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction, succeeding Jillian Balow.[3] She started on April 17, 2023.[3][4] She had been a finalist to be the next commissioner of the Nebraska Department of Education.[5]