From the age of ten when she asked for a chalkboard for her birthday, Elisa knew she wanted to be a teacher. That calling manifested into a career spanning three decades of teaching, leading and consulting.

Elisa currently partners with school districts and organizations to advance outcomes for all learners through skillful intentional team collaboration. She also works with corporate clients, whose mission is one of service and positive impact, who are looking to improve as a learning organization.

Served as a consultant to New Bedford Public Schools, facilitating the Turnaround Team through the successful development and award of a $900,000 DESE Strategic Redesign Grant.
Guest speaker on Peter DeWitt and Mike Nelson's podcast "Leaders Coaching Leaders".
Two-time bestselling author. Both books were selected as "Learning Forward Member Books"- only 4 books are selected each year.
Elisa has published numerous articles and blogs in esteemed journals.
Elisa has presented to audiences of 300+ people at numerous conferences including Learning Forward and ISTE/ASCD. Her presentation was selected to showcase on the ISTE/ASCD website.
As a teacher, Elisa was the recipient of the English Speaking Union Treadwell Scholarship, numerous grants and she was a finalist for the Steppingstone Prize. Her teaching was written about in Middle Ground Magazine, the Allston/Brighton Tab and was featured in Renee Hobbs' media literacy work.

Past work experience highlights:

National Director of Teacher Leader Development at the non-profit, Teach Plus, where Elisa built-up and led the Turnaround Teacher Teams initiative program in six school district across 4 states. This work involved creating a robust system of training and support to teacher and school leaders in what were designated as chronically underperforming schools.
Served as an educator for 15 years in the Boston Public Schools holding various roles i.e., High school assistant principal of instruction, literacy coach, lead mentor teacher, ILT co-facilitator and middle and high school teacher.
Adjunct faculty at Boston College and Quincy College.
Consultant for Teachers21 serving Massachusetts schools.

On the personal side:

Elisa lives in Arlington, MA and is the proud mom to her amazing adolescent twins, both of whom are exceptional with language-based learning differences. Their school experiences have shaped her lifetime commitment to understanding the neurodivergent learner and ensuring every child has access to learning opportunities.

When Elisa isn’t championing students, teacher leaders and collaboration, she fills her creative bucket with acting, dance and experimenting in the kitchen, pretending she’s on the Food Network.

Contact Elisa if you want to learn more about Skillful Intentional Team Leadership, or if you just want a delicious fudge recipe.

What people are saying about Elisa's work:

Department Head

I've been here 19 years, and I can honestly say that I've learned more from you this past year about leadership then I have in all my time prior. Elisa is a wonderful instructor. This was the BEST PD I have ever been a part of. She wasted no time and I feel like I am a better, more efficient leader. To be quite frank, many PD's feel like a time suck for the staff and a money suck for the district. Every one of Elisa's sessions was beneficial. Her message is genuine and useful in both the short term and long term.

Roy Pavao

High School Science Department Head

Foxborough Regional Charter School

Teacher Leader

Your training has transformed how I think about problem solving in schools, whether it's math, team meetings or social and emotional learning. I am less intimidated when dealing with challenging issues and have a whole new perspective about how to operate in schools.

Georgia M.

Math teacher leader

F.A. Day Middle School

Corporate Client

Elisa... allowed our team to understand the complexities of leadership within an organization. She also presented alternate viewpoints on leadership and challenged our team to think about how our own team functions. Elisa took the time to outline exercises and resources for our continued growth as a team. This was a truly valuable exercise to start our journey to being a better functioning leadership team.

Carrie M.

Manager Clinical Research Operations

Ambry Genetics, CA