Lilla Toal Mandsager is passionate about growing school systems that consistently provide each student access to great teaching and leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director for Continuous Improvement at the South Carolina Department of Education. Previously, she served as a professional development lead, a principal, a college mentor, and a high school English teacher for Summit Public Schools in California. She has also taught English at an American school in Israel and theatre and creative writing in summer programs. Her professional passions include coaching, personalizing learning for students, and retaining exemplary educators. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Secondary English Education from Stanford University and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina. She lives in Columbia, SC, and enjoys cooking, eating, hiking, and watching basketball with her family.