Education Design Lab’s Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Lisa Larson as the interim CEO, effective Feb. 1, 2025.
Lisa, who most recently served as Senior Vice President for College Transformation, succeeds Bill Hughes. For more than three years, Bill has led the Lab as CEO, but has decided to step down to prioritize personal and family needs. Bill will continue to serve as an advisor to the Lab and work alongside Lisa to ensure a smooth transition in the coming months.
Since 2021, Lisa has overseen the Lab’s largest and fastest growing portfolios of work aimed at scaling micro-pathways across the learn + work system. She is nationally recognized on skills-first practices and community college transformation.
“We are excited that a leader with Lisa’s experience and success has agreed to step into the interim CEO role to work with our well-seasoned executive team as they continue navigating this fast-changing learning and skills economy. We look forward to partnering with Bill in other endeavors. We are grateful for his passion to support New Majority Learners as he has worked tirelessly to grow the organization,” said Kathleen deLaski, founder and board chair of Education Design Lab.
Prior to joining the Lab, Lisa served as the president of Eastern Maine Community College focused on providing high-quality career, technical, and transfer education as well as helping to drive economic and community development for the region. Lisa has also served in leadership roles in the Minnesota state system, including interim president of North Hennepin Community College. She brings nearly three decades of experience leading teams in complex environments to realize greater systemic change that improves the lives of New Majority Learners.
