Riverside Learning is overjoyed to welcome Lisa Kaminsi to the team!  With more than 30 years of experience in public education, Lisa brings a dynamic blend of instructional leadership, literacy expertise, curriculum development, and professional learning to the Riverside Learning team. Her career has been rooted in a deep commitment to educational excellence, equity, and empowering both students and educators through meaningful, student-centered learning experiences.

Most recently, Lisa served as the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development for Westport Community Schools, where she oversaw curriculum, instruction, and professional learning across all grade levels district-wide. In this leadership role, she collaborated closely with district administrators on strategic initiatives, managed federal and local grant programs, supported Multi-Language Learner services, and designed impactful professional development experiences for educators and staff.

Lisa has extensive experience developing and facilitating professional development workshops and courses for educators. Throughout her career as a teacher-leader, department head, and district administrator, she has created and delivered engaging professional learning focused on student-centered instruction and evidence-based practices. Her areas of expertise include centers-based teaching, the Science of Reading, project-based learning, literature circles, document-based teaching and learning, evidence-based writing instruction, maximizing teaching and learning within block scheduling, and more.

She has facilitated both single-session and multi-session professional development experiences for educators in districts including Randolph, Canton, and Westport, Massachusetts. Participants consistently praise Lisa’s sessions for being relevant, engaging, practical, and immediately actionable for today’s classrooms. Most recently, she developed and implemented semester-long professional learning focused on the Science of Reading, evidence-based reading instruction, and highly effective teaching strategies designed to meet the needs of modern learners.

Prior to her district leadership work, Lisa served for seven years as the ELA/Reading Department Coordinator at Wm. H. Galvin Middle School, where she supervised and mentored teachers, led curriculum development grounded in Understanding by Design and equity practices, and facilitated professional learning focused on literacy instruction, social-emotional learning, close reading, Growth Mindset, and instructional best practices. She also played a key role in analyzing student achievement data, supporting professional learning communities, and fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation.

Lisa’s experience also includes serving as a Humanities Literacy Coach and middle school ELA teacher in Randolph Public Schools, where she helped build instructional capacity around literacy, text-based writing, and comprehension strategies. Earlier in her career, she taught middle and high school English and journalism in Fall River Public Schools, earning the prestigious Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Throughout her career, Lisa has remained deeply committed to continuous learning and professional growth. Her extensive training includes Project-Based Learning, Restorative Justice, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Keys to Literacy, Orton-Gillingham, SRSD Writing, equity-centered instructional practices, mindfulness in the classroom, and Socratic Seminar facilitation.

Lisa holds licensure as a Principal/Assistant Principal, Supervisor/Director, and Assistant Superintendent/Superintendent, along with certifications in English and ESL. She earned her Educational Leadership degree from Fitchburg State University and her undergraduate degree in English and Secondary Education from Rhode Island College.

We are incredibly fortunate and excited to welcome Lisa to the Riverside Learning team. Her wealth of experience, passion for instructional leadership, and commitment to empowering educators make her an outstanding resource for schools and districts. Contact Riverside Learning today to bring Lisa’s expertise and professional learning experiences to your district.