Who am I?

My name is Lisa, and I am a wife, mother, educator, and trainer. I was born in Japan, and I moved to the United States when I was four years old. I consider myself an English language learner because my mother, who speaks broken English, was the one who primarily raised me. My biological father was in the US Navy, and he was always overseas; he also died when I was eight years old. It took me many years to figure out the differences between Rs and Ls; TH and S; and lots of funny words my mother made into her own version of Engrish (i.e., toweru paypa = paper towel). Don’t get me started on idioms. I remember asking my friends in high school why I had to keep up with the Jones family when I didn’t know them.

I received my first computer when I was eight years old. It was a TRS-80 (Radio Shack), and I learned how to use BASIC to write simple programs. My mother always made sure computers were part of my life, whether they were part of a video game console or a desktop. She also made ballet a part of my life (her dream, not mine). I should be more thankful for my mother’s intentions, but I digress…

Fast forward to the late 1990s: I was new to the Silicon Valley, attending school, and I was homesick. I drove home every weekend to visit my mom in the Sierra Foothills and my friends in the Central Valley. I was constantly on dial-up AOL ($2.50/hour!) and eventually, my PacBell.net account trying to keep in touch with new and old friends. In January of 1997, I went into mIRC (internet relay chat) to access the California chat room, and I asked if anyone else was new to the SF Bay Area. Dozens of messages plastered my screen, but one screen name caught my attention: PsyPhi2. I cleared all the other direct messages, and I focused on PsyPhi2. Little did I know that 20 years later, I’d still be chatting with this guy nightly. We fell in love, got married, and have two (now adult) sons.

When I went back to work, after being very lucky to be a stay-at-home mom, I found myself in the educational environment. While working as an instructional aide at a private school, I went back to college to get an Masters in Education with a concentration in instructional leadership. My first teaching job was in a small Catholic school in Alameda, and I taught there for six years. I taught 3rd grade, 4th grade, middle school language arts, 8th grade religion, and K-8 technology. I became their Director of Technology in my 5th year there. During that time, I had also obtained a graduate certification in Network and Communications Management.

In 2013, I became the Director of Instructional Innovation and STEAM Programs at a private, all-girls high school in Oakland. There, I taught computer science, media and information literacy, and creativity in the makeHERspace. Eighteen months later, I was given the amazing opportunity to join the California public school systems, and I was hired as Technology Integration Coach for a public school district. Six months later, they promoted me as their Director of Innovation, Design, and Technology. In 2017, I became the Innovator in Residence at a community college, where I trained teachers in student-centered pedagogy and ed-tech tools. I also created and professional learning programs for educators and administrators, and I was an adjunct professor to college students through Learning In New Classrooms (LINC) courses.

After 14 years of being in the educational arena, a public school district in San Jose was hiring for a Director of Information & Instructional Technology. The CTO/Associate Superintendent of Learning & Innovation was a man named Andrew Schwab, and he was the visionary educator and administrator that made me want to take this role under his leadership. While I came to the job to learn under Andrew’s unique vision and guidance, I chose to stay because this district is so special. The teachers, staff, students, and parents make it an incredible place to make a difference and be creative, innovative, and fun at the same time.

2022 is my 17th year in education. I am a Google Certified Innovator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator, a CUE Gold Disk winner, a CUE Lead Learner, a KCI MERIT13 fellow, 2021 Common Sense Education Honored Educator, and a forever learner.