Dr. Lorna Lewis has been a pioneer over her nearly 40-year career as an educator. In June 2018 she became the first woman of color to preside over the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYCOSS), which represents more than 800 top education leaders statewide. She currently serves as the superintendent of Malverne UFSD, after having served as the superintendent of Plainview-Old Bethpage CSD and East Williston UFSD.
An outspoken voice for inclusion and equity in public education, Dr. Lewis is a founding member of NYCOSS' Commission on Diversity and Inclusivity, and also chairs their curriculum committee. As Secretary of ERASE Racism's Board of Directors, she is an invaluable resource for the Education Equity Initiative.
She began her teaching career at The Collegiate School and served as an administrator in Rockville Centre UFSD, science director in Uniondale UFSD, and Deputy Superintendent in the Three Village CSD. She is a past-president of Long Island Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and has presented workshops at local universities, School Board Associations, and BOCES on De-tracking Our Schools, Equity and Access, Using Data to Improve Instruction, Deconstructing the Grades 3 – 8 Mathematics Assessment, Teaching for the Giftedness in All Children, Maintaining Excellence with Reduced Revenues, and The Annual Professional Performance Appraisal. She has served as an adjunct professor of graduate science methods at Hofstra University, and invited lecturer for the Adelphi University Robert Finkelstein Memorial series as well as a Fordham University Barbara L. Jackson lecture.
In 2019 the NAACP recognized her with a Legacy Award and she was the guest speaker for the Temple Beth-El of Great Neck Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat Service. She has been recognized for her incredible accomplishments as a leader in education by the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, The Korean Parents Association of Long Island, St John's University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, Long Island Black Educators Association, National Coalition of 100 Black Women – Suffolk County Chapter and Erase Racism
In the 1970s, Dr. Lewis immigrated from Jamaica to New York and at the age of 16 enrolled in Fordham University where she received her B.S. in Physics. She went on to earn three Masters degrees before completing her Doctorate in Science Education (Ed.D.) from Teachers College, Columbia University.
She is the proud Mother of her son Martin, an Analytical Chemist, and Grandmother to Luke.
