Dr. Lori Rapp has many titles. Mother. Teacher. Administrator. And most recently, the first female superintendent in the district.

Rapp said she looks forward to serving as the superintendent after the legacy left by previous superintendent Dr. Kevin Rogers, who she worked closely with as deputy superintendent.

“We’ve got great traditions. We’ve got a lot of great courses for students to take,” Rapp said. “We have strong academics, we have strong programs, and I want to continue to ensure that all of those things remain strong and only continue to grow and get better.”

LISD Board President Tracy Scott Miller said in a recent board meeting that he looks forward to what Rapp does in the role of superintendent.

“When we began the very difficult task of naming the district’s next superintendent, the Board was committed to finding the absolute best person for the job,” Miller said. “I have no doubt LISD will continue to thrive under her leadership.”

Rapp received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Texas Tech University, her Master of Science in Mathematics from Texas Woman’s University and her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University.

“I want to listen to people and their feedback in ways they want to see the district improve and things that they love about our school district,” Rapp said.

In her first week as superintendent, Rapp shared her reasons for becoming a teacher in an interview with MOB.

She said she was originally inspired to pursue a career in education by her third grade teacher, who encouraged Rapp to keep reading and learning after her father left her family. In the field of education, she hopes to be able to give back to others who may be in that position now.

“She changed my life,” Rapp said. “I thought that’s the greatest thing you could ever do…to be there for kids and help them make it through school and be ready to give back to their community.”

In 1996, Rapp got her job at The Colony High School. Along with teaching math, she was also the sponsor of the student council.

“I taught all kinds of math,” Rapp said. “And I sponsored student council, which I loved, and got to really interact with so many students at The Colony High School that way.”

Later, she became more involved in the curriculum department, where she assisted math teachers all over the district. Rapp was then asked to manage district curriculum in all subject areas.

“I still have so many math teacher friends out there, some of whom are at Marcus still to this day,” Rapp said.

When former Superintendent Dr. Kevin Rogers was hired in 2015, Rapp was his choice for assistant superintendent. She was in charge of curriculum, special education, professional learning for staff, career and technology and digital learning.

In 2017, Rogers appointed Rapp to be Deputy Superintendent.

“She is one of my most trusted advisors and is a leader in every sense of the word,” Rogers said at a 2017 school board meeting.

Another role that Dr. Lori Rapp holds is being a mother to her two teen daughters in the district, which gives her a unique perspective. Many of the other superintendents have been older and without children at home.

“It’s huge for me to be able to set an example to all females out there that you can really work hard and compete at the highest level, no matter what that level may be,” Rapp said. “Whether you’re talking about business, athletics, fine arts, broadcast journalism— whatever it is that you want to achieve.”

Rapp said that what inspired her to try for the role of superintendent was realizing that many of the district administrators are nearing retirement age. She wanted to step up to join the new generation of leaders.

“What I foresee as a leader in this role is you have to constantly be willing to keep up with the pace of change,” Rapp said. “You have to constantly be ensuring that your organization is learning, growing, adapting, being willing to consider new ideas.”

One of Rapp’s biggest goals as superintendent is to increase the relationship between students and administration. She said she values the opinions of all students, parents, teachers and other community members regardless of their connection to the schools.

“What it’s about is getting out there and being the face of Lewisville ISD,” Rapp said. “Highlighting our students and our staff and telling our stories, and letting people know that if you’re not a part of the school district, you need to come here.”

Rapp uses Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to help reach her target audience – the students. She said that she wants them to be able to voice their opinions.

As technology is quickly advancing, Rapp plans to ensure that the district is ready for the future. She believes that it’s vital for the district to keep up with the new demands of students. As superintendent, she plans to focus on analyzing the resources available to ensure that LISD students are well-prepared for life after graduation.

“The world is changing so fast that to think about what we have, the technology we use today only continues to change faster and faster,” Rapp said. “So if you can imagine, between the time you all graduate, between when a first grader graduates, what will be created by then is hard to even imagine.”

But Rapp’s main goal is to be a superintendent students feel they can trust and relate to. A superintendent who listens to their concerns.

“While I may not always be able to solve the problem they’re bringing forward, it seems like they always appreciate that I at least am willing to listen and understand what they’re saying,” Rapp said. “And if I can do something to make it better than I absolutely will.”