Lisa Heathcote serves as the Lower School principal at St. Croix Preparatory Academy in Stillwater, Minnesota. She supports the teaching and learning of 450 kindergarten through fourth grade students. St. Croix Prep is the largest K-12 charter school in Minnesota and serves over 1050 students.

In 1990, Lisa received her early childhood, kindergarten, and elementary teaching credentials from North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since then, she has been blessed with nearly 25 years of teaching and learning experience. Her career began in Bemidji, Minnesota at a kindergarten and early childhood site. Lisa continued on as a founding K-2 (multiage) teacher at East Metro Integration District at Tri-District School in Maplewood, Minnesota (now known as Harambee). She received her Master's degree in Education from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2000. In 2004, Lisa became a founding teacher and board member, and in 2007, began serving as the Lower School principal for St. Croix Preparatory Academy.

Over the years, she has noted dramatic shifts in the teaching and learning of K-3 reading. Educational leaders understand that primary students today are expected to read and think more critically than ever before, and work together to better prepare them for this challenge. Lisa is currently an EdD candidate at Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minnesota. Her research is focused on the teaching and learning of reading in Minnesota's highest performing elementary schools.