Known to many as Dr. Lily, has dedicated her career to improving educational outcomes for students in historically marginalized communities. With over 20 years of experience in education, she has served as a K-12 teacher, school and district leader, instructional and leadership coach, curriculum and assessment developer, and consultant.

Her expertise extends to designing K-12 and master’s-level university programs, facilitating strategic planning, accreditation, and program evaluations. Dr. Lily has also taught graduate-level courses and led professional development for school and district administrators, academic coaches, and teachers. Her areas of focus include pedagogy, literacy, language acquisition and development, instructional leadership, systems thinking, Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Communities of Practice (COP), academic coaching, instructional design, and continuous improvement cycles.

Since joining the Isaac School District in 2017, Dr. Lily has held key leadership roles, including strategist, director, and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. In these roles, she has successfully guided the district through agile transitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, overseen the adoption of curriculum materials across all content areas, and implemented changes in state standards. Additionally, she has restructured professional learning programs for educators and administrators, strengthened the New Teacher Induction and mentoring programs, and enhanced the district’s academic coaching initiatives.

Dr. Mesa-Lema earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University.