What the Mission means to Lisa
With ZERO TO THREE I want to help teachers understand and meet the needs of their students by prioritizing a sense of community and understanding.
Professional Background
Lisa M. Wilson is a seasoned educator, advocate, and leader with over 25 years of experience in infant, toddler, and preschool education and organizational leadership consultation rooted in systems thinking. As the Director of Equity & Outreach at the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NC ECDTL), Lisa spearheads the integration of equitable practices across the Center’s initiatives. She works collaboratively with the Center Director, Consortium Leadership Team, and the Office of Head Start (OHS) to embed equity, culturally and linguistically responsive practices (CLRP), and co-creation efforts into all aspects of the Center’s operations, ensuring alignment with its annual work plan.
Lisa is a Co-Founder of C.A.R.E., a coalition of dynamic activists and change agents dedicated to advancing social justice and human rights through transformative curriculum and professional learning offerings. Her extensive work with grassroots advocacy groups in California has focused on teacher education reform, including anti-racism, social justice, equity in education, and celebrating language and culture.
Currently a faculty member in the Early Childhood Education Department at Ventura College, Lisa teaches Teaching in a Diverse Society and previously held faculty positions at Pacific Oaks University, Santa Monica College, and College of the Canyons. Her work in academia and consultation includes expertise in quality improvement, culturally responsive education, teacher-child interactions, systems thinking, licensing compliance, DEI integration, and professional development.
Lisa’s career highlights include her role as the Professional Development Coordinator for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in Los Angeles County. This pilot program laid the foundation for Quality Start LA as part of the BUILD Initiative and the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). In this role, she advanced high-quality early learning programs to close opportunity gaps for children. Lisa has also served as Chair and Co-Chair of the Child Care & Early Education Task Force and has been an active member of Community Voices. Additionally, she successfully guided two programs through NAEYC and NAA accreditation processes and has administrative experience in group homes, demonstrating her commitment to fostering excellence and equity in early childhood education. Lisa holds a Master’s in Education with an emphasis on Multicultural Curriculum and Instruction and is currently completing her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Curriculum and Teaching. Her dissertation focuses on leveraging systems thinking to advance equity in curriculum development.
With a passion for fostering inclusive and equitable opportunities for all children and families, Lisa provides consultation on various topics, including mindfulness education, challenging behaviors, organizational leadership, and STEAM integration. Her dedication to systemic change and transformative leadership continues to pave the way for progress in early childhood education and beyond.
Future Vision
I want to create meaningful systemic change in the field of early childhood education by serving children holistically and help others meet emotional and academic needs.
