Lisa Wells Harris has extensive experience in federal education and administrative law, having served for three decades as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education. During her federal career, she advised on complex and novel legal issues, provided statutory and regulatory interpretation to support policy development and implementation, and focused on grantee compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements with a specific emphasis on high-risk grantees. She also handled administrative appeals, drafted regulations and guidance documents, served on an interagency team engaged in joint administration of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and coordinated a team of attorneys working to collaboratively resolve investigations into the reporting of foreign gifts and contracts under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act.

Lisa advised Department officials and staff in two program offices — the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education — on a wide range of formula and discretionary grant programs. These included Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (supporting well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and innovative use of technology), the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act; programs supporting school-based mental health services; literacy programs for children and youth; COVID-19 and disaster relief programs; programs to help school districts and institutions of higher education recover from traumatic or violent events that disrupted the learning environment; and other school and student safety programs.

Before entering federal service, Lisa spent almost five years as an attorney with the National Association of Attorneys General, advising on legal and legislative concerns and priorities of the state Attorneys General in civil rights, criminal law, children and the law, and corrections law. She began her legal career in private practice, gaining three years of intellectual property law experience, with a focus on transactional trademark and copyright law.