Lisa has worked in Portland Public Schools since 1994. For the last six years, she has served as Principal at Forest Park Elementary School. The student body at Forest Park speaks 22 different languages. At Forest Park, Lisa solidified core systems school-wide while building academic and behavioral interventions and enrichment for all students. Additionally, she worked with an independent foundation and involved parents in the decision-making process to support the school. She continues to integrate equity and cultural proficiency in leading the professional learning community.

In her first 17 years in PPS, Lisa held different roles. She served as a teacher at Woodlawn, Humboldt, Hayhurst and Arleta. She was deeply involved in Title I work and was a math grant liaison. As a teacher, she focused on reading intervention, while also serving as a committee member and coordinator. She also served as a teacher mentor and organized Lego Robotics teams.

Lisa participated in the district’s aspiring administrator program and moved into administration in 2011 as an assistant principal at Beverly Cleary School before becoming Principal at Forest Park Elementary School in 2014.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Oregon State College, and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University.

Jeff Waters returned to Portland Public Schools in 2019 as the assistant principal at Robert Gray Middle School. He spent his teaching career in PPS at Boise-Eliot/Humboldt K-8, where he taught Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Student Leadership, and served as the building's School Climate Specialist. He focuses on building student voice and engaging school communities in democratic dialogue and cycles of improvement to improve outcomes for students and families.

A first generation college student, he received an Associate of Arts degree from Lane Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Oregon, and later graduated from Pacific University's teachers college with a MA in Teaching. He completed school administrator training at Portland State University and has worked with Lewis and Clark College through the Oregon Writing Project.

Mr. Waters is driven by relationships, data, cycles of improvement, and supporting communities and individuals toward their potential. 

He previously served on the Oregon Association of Student Councils Executive Board. His article, co-authored with Sitton Elementary School Principal Becky HenkleBerry, "The Most Gentrified City of the Century," was published in Teaching for Black Lives in 2018, in 2019, he was recognized by Trillium Family Services as a 2019 Mental Health Hero for his work to destigmatize mental health conversations and improve student wellness, and in 2021, he published  in Improvement Science as a Tool for School Enhancement: Solutions for Better Educational Outcomes. 

In his personal life, he enjoys backyard habitat landscaping, mountain climbing, camping, hiking and being a new dad.

You can contact Mr. Waters at jwaters@pps.net.