Chief Chat: Lisa Marie Ruda

Lisa Marie Ruda, the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff, oversees school operations, general counsel and interagency relations.

Can you describe for us what you do?

I work on making sure that the left hand and the right hand are moving in the same direction. Anytime an initiative crosses departments, it's my job to make sure that all the involved offices and departments are on the same page and moving in the same direction. Most importantly, I make sure that anyone that should be part of the conversation is at the table. This includes people from DCPS, the mayor’s office, and other district agencies.

Where are you from?

Geographically, I spent most of my life in Cleveland. I attended Bowling Green State University as an undergrad, and I went to grad school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. I also previously worked as the Chief of Staff at the Cleveland Public Schools.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue education?

I don’t think I did! I was initially trained as a corporate lawyer. I was hired by a small law firm that worked closely with schools, and then I went on to Cleveland Public Schools.

What are you most proud of since coming to work for DCPS?

I’m so proud of how much we have accomplished in the past three years. The work that is being done here is very similar to what was going on in Cleveland, but the difference is the rate at which we are making these changes. The bottom line is that kids can't wait. We have to get traditional public schools right, or we, as a nation, are never going to move forward.

I also love that we try different things, nothing is worse than not trying.

We try to be smart and move quickly. We assess and evaluate where we are going. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned we pick ourselves up and figure out what we’re going to do next.

What do you find most challenging about your position?

The biggest challenge is what we can't control.

What advice would you like to give to our associates?

Absolutely number one: get your graduate degree- no ifs, buts, or ands. I am a huge advocate of advanced degrees, and unfortunately, the undergraduate degree is no longer enough.

Also try to work with as many different departments as humanly possible. The work and personalities in each department can be so different. There are folks that are data crunchers, and there are folks that are relationship builders. Each of these is an important skill set. To be successful, you need to a combination skills, and you need to meet other folks to be exposed to that.