Lisa Wells Harris

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.

Lisa handled administrative appeals, drafted regulations and guidance documents, served on an interagency team engaged in the 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.

She advised Department officials and staff in 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, including Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act; school-based mental health and literacy programs; COVID-19 and disaster relief programs; and other school safety and recovery initiatives.

Before entering federal service, Lisa spent almost five years as an attorney with the National Association of Attorneys General, advising on legal and legislative priorities 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 matters.