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in change

We are a network of leaders committed to building an equitable future.

lisa cenca

Special Assistant to the President and CEO

Lisa Cenca is special assistant to the president and CEO at StriveTogether. In this role, she supports StriveTogether’s organizational leadership and field building work and will lead a strategic project as part of her doctoral residency through the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

As a first-generation college student and the daughter of Italian immigrants, Lisa saw the detrimental effects of limited education on the women in her life. Motivated by this experience, she embarked on a career in education, initially as a teacher. However, as she progressed professionally, Lisa recognized that the lack of educational access was just one hurdle for students who have been marginalized. After years of research, Lisa discovered that low confidence was a significant barrier to academic success, particularly for girls.

In 2017, after 15 years in the field, Lisa founded a girls’ high school in Boston, Massachusetts, to address this issue. Drawing on research from leading girls’ schools across the U.S., she developed a Leadership School Framework placing leadership, social justice, and the core values of compassion and trust at the forefront of education. Through her efforts, Lisa secured millions of dollars in funding, oversaw the construction of a state-of-the-art school building, hired and trained a dedicated staff, and enrolled girls from underserved communities. The school opened its doors in 2018 and now boasts an enrollment of over 400 young women.

Lisa’s academic journey includes a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She was recently named a Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellow for her work in Navajo and other Indigenous communities across the U.S. Her contributions to the field have earned her Harvard’s Phyllis Strimling Award for the Advancement of Women and recognition as a visionary in Harvard’s Venture Program. Additionally, Lisa has been honored with the Women Making a Difference Award by Zonta International Women’s Organization.

In her commitment to empowering young women globally, Lisa has founded three educational ventures, all aimed at promoting leadership and equity in education: The Leadership Program for Girls, JUST Girls World summer camp and Education Express Consulting.

hear from lisa

Share how one of StriveTogether’s core values (community, courage, equity, progress and results) is important to you.

Courage is an essential core value for me because it has been the cornerstone of my journey from feeling unseen and unheard to becoming a leader who uplifts and empowers others. Growing up I faced significant challenges and even discouragement because of my socio-economic and ethnic background, even being told by my guidance counselor that I shouldn’t apply for college because he didn’t believe I would make it. With little support in school and parents unfamiliar with navigating the college system, I had to forge my own path. My dad’s words, “if you can make it with a paper cup and shoestring, you can do anything,” instilled in me the resilience and determination to figure things out independently.

Understanding my worth and abilities came slowly because I lacked the support to foster those qualities. It took immense courage to believe in myself, to count myself in and to bring others along with me. This courage has become my driving force, enabling me to have difficult and courageous conversations about equity and opportunity. My purpose in life is to uplift others, teaching them the importance of these conversations. As a leader, I strive to not only bring my voice forward but also to listen to others, seeing the world through the lens of many unsung heroes. In doing so, I am continually, in the words of Glinda from the Broadway musical “Wicked,” “changed for the better and, ultimately, changed for good.”