Lisa J. Gleason

Dr. Lisa Gleason is a passionate educational leader who is committed to the highest levels of academic excellence and radically innovative engagement in New Jersey’s public schools. “At the hub of great teaching and learning is a curriculum that must be authentic, inclusive, and meaningful. Only then can we spark insightful, challenging classroom conversations that inspire students to make meaning of the world around them and act as agents of change for the future.”

Dr. Gleason’s work in the field of education includes the development of the Monmouth County Curriculum Consortium, a network of more than 60 New Jersey districts that collaborate in the development and execution of high quality curricular initiatives. Her teaching career spans all grade bands from kindergarten through high school – from Point Pleasant Borough Schools, Asbury Park School District, and Tinton Falls Schools. Her administrative career began in
Belmar School District, where Dr. Gleason served as the principal and director of curriculum and led the successful development of a regional STEAM Tank Makerfest, a student-centered opportunity to engineer innovative solutions to global issues. In 2017, Dr. Gleason joined the Wall Township School District, serving as the K-12 director of curriculum and focusing her efforts on the development of teacher leadership, mentorship, and the continued expansion of student-centered, collaborative opportunities to research, identify, and address global issues.

In addition to her service on the executive advisory board of the Monmouth County Curriculum Consortium, Dr. Gleason served as the NJASA liaison to the New Jersey Amistad Stakeholder Group, a council charged with infusing an authentic history of Africans and African-Americans within the social studies curriculum and raising public awareness about the importance of the history of African-Americans to the growth and development of American
society in global context. She is currently leading the development of the Ocean County Women in Leadership organization, dedicated to supporting a network of women in or aspiring to positions in educational leadership.

Dr. Gleason holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Communications from the State University of New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She completed her masters degree in School Administration and Leadership at Georgian Court University, where has been an adjunct professor since 2017 in the School Administration and Leadership MA program. Dr. Gleason recently joined the university’s steering committee in the development of a doctoral
program in Educational Leadership. She earned her doctorate in Education from Saint Peter’s University in 2017.

In Fall 2020, Dr. Gleason welcomed the extraordinary opportunity to join the New Jersey Department of Education as the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Academics and Performance. There, she continued her commitment to a leadership vision that empowers educators to be innovative stewards of high quality, culturally-responsive, and personalized instruction that motivates students to be self-directed, collaborative, and emotionally resilient thinkers and leaders who are well-prepared to contribute to society in meaningful ways. Her contributions to the NJDOE’s “Road Forward” framework included evidenced based practices for accelerated learning, and best practices in summer and beyond-school day learning models. She continues to serve on the NJASA Governmental Relations committee and is the Ocean County liaison to NJASA Women in Leadership, and recently testified before the Assembly Education Committee for flexibilities for teacher certifications during the post-COVID teacher shortage.

Presently, Dr. Gleason serves as the Superintendent of both Lavallette and Seaside Park School Districts along the Jersey barrier island, where she has led the implementation of New Jersey’s first Montessori public preschool. She continues to find opportunities for innovative, student-centered curricular initiatives, such as the new STEAM aquaponics system which promotes project-based learning and community partnerships, and a career awareness and exploration framework that helps students discover their interests, skills, and and values as they begin understanding more about the working world.

Dr. Gleason resides with her family in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She is an avid reader, writer, gardener, and self-proclaimed “home chef.”