Lisa Backer

After a 20-year career with the Minnesota Department of Education, Lisa Backer currently works for SpEd Forms, a special education software company serving districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin and as a consultant for DaSy. She was an ECSE teacher and district administrator for 13 years before transitioning to state agency work. During her tenure with MDE, Lisa has helped lead the development of the child outcomes measurement system and the early child real-time data warehouse. She actively oversaw the creation of the Centers of Excellence, the professional development initiative that works to support districts to effectively implement evidence-based practices, including the Pyramid Model. She has served the field as a member of the DEC Executive Board. In 2014 she received the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Administrators of Special Education (MASE). Lisa has three adult children and four amazing grandchildren who remind her everyday of the importance of quality early childhood education.