About Lisa

Lisa launched Uncommon Smarts, LLC to help parents and schools meet the needs of children who learn differently.  She worked for over 20 years at the Briarwood School, a specialized K-12 school for students with learning differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and executive functioning difficulties.  As Director of the Lower School,  she collaborated with parents to develop a tailored academic experience for their children, engineered and managed a strong intervention program, and served as the school's Science of Reading and LETRS trainer. 

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Lisa provides guidance to parents of children who have learning differences.  She interprets their child's diagnostic testing, provides feedback on next steps, helps them understand their options, and connects them to the best programs, specialists, and/or schools based on their child's unique learning needs.  As an experienced leader in the field of specialized education, Lisa also collaborates with schools to enhance their ability to serve neurodiverse learners.  She helps them develop an overarching strategy for curriculum and professional development, provides dyslexia screenings, facilitates dyslexia simulations, and delivers training.

 

Over the course of her career, Lisa has come to understand three foundational truths that define her work today:  1) There is no such thing as failure, only feedback; 2) Having a learning difference doesn't mean something is broken or that anything needs to be fixed; and 3) Being different comes with gifts that - while not always appreciated now - are often highly valued later in life.  

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Lisa holds a masters degree in education from Houston Christian University and received formal training in the Science of Reading when she became a certified local LETRS trainer for the Briarwood School.  She is a past board member of the  Houston  Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and currently serves on their advisory council.