MISD Board President Eggers Announces Resignation

Mercer Island School Board President Lisa Strauch Eggers announced her resignation April 4 to accept a position with an international Seattle-based architecture and design firm. 

Eggers said she is stepping down from the Position 3 seat on the Board of Directors — a four-year elected position which helps set policy for the  immediately following the scheduled April 28 school board meeting. The announcement was made official in a letter posted to the school district's website. Eggers is leaving to work as General Counsel of Callison LLC, a commercial architecture firm with 10 offices worldwide specializing in retail and mixed-use projects in North America, Asia and the Middle East. Before joining Callison, Eggers maintained her own private legal practice and previously worked at Seattle law firm Perkins Coie and as in-house counsel to Amoco and Starbucks. According to her biography on the school district website, she also previously served on the district’s Recruitment and Retention committee, was coordinator of the Lakeridge Chess Club, and her children are attending local schools.

Facing a June deadline to register for re-election to a third term in the November 2011 General Election for the MISD Position 3 seat, Eggers said stepping down now would allow the board to find a replacement in time for their next board meeting on May 12.

"I want both organizations, Callison and the Mercer Island School District, to receive the dedication and attention they deserve," she wrote. 

First elected in 2003 and unopposed for re-election in 2007, Eggers served on the school board for over seven years and helped lead the search to hire current MISD Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. She said she was leaving the school district in an "excellent position" and entrusted the school board to carry on several policies put in place over the past decade, such as the MISD's 2020 Vision mission statement.

"I am confident you will provide the leadership and oversight required to enable the District to continue on the path toward realizing the 2020 vision through personalizing learning, optimizing the classroom environment, emphasizing excellent instruction and worthwhile assessment, encouraging creativity, and using technology effectively, despite these challenging economic times."