Mrs. Lisa – Romayne Archibald – Pistana has had over 19 years of experience in the field of Education. She strongly believes that every child has great potential and only requires the opportunity to succeed. Mrs. Pistana also embraces the values of inclusivity, equity, and transparency. Lisa is a devoted wife, and a selfless mother of two wonderful girls, and she firmly believes that it takes a village to raise a child.
Her academic foundation was first nurtured at the Newtown Primary School (now the Tucker Clarke Primary School), the Basseterre Junior and the Basseterre High Schools inclusive of Sixth Form. Mrs. Pistana enjoys learning and attributes her current success to the solid foundation received at our public schools.
In 1993, Mrs. Pistana commenced her professional journey as a teacher at the St. Theresa’s Convent School, now the Immaculate Conception Catholic School. There, she discovered her love for teaching and soon after, in 1994, she pursued training when she proceeded to Neumann College now Neumann University, in Pennsylvania. In 1998, Mrs. Pistana graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Secondary Education. Her love for learning and desire to hone her administrative skills led Mrs. Pistana to complete a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Temple University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2001.
Eager to serve and advance education in the nation, Mrs. Pistana returned to the Federation and functioned as the Principal of the St. Theresa’s Convent School and then the Immaculate Conception Catholic School from 2004 – 2011. She considers the following as some of her greatest accomplishments in that post:
· Introduction of a comprehensive admission process and orientation programme.
· Increased subject choices to include additional science, social science and TVET related subjects;
· Revamped the Subject Choice programme to ensure greater inclusivity and equity
· Significant increase in the number of subject entries and quality of subject passes at the CSEC level.
· The design and construction of the Immaculate Conception Catholic School and merger of the St. Theresa’s & St. Joseph’s Schools.
For the past 11 years, Mrs. Pistana has been working in the Ministry of Education and has held several leadership roles. She held the post of Education Officer, Senior Education Officer, and Deputy Chief Education Officer. Over that period, she has provided professional support to twelve of the twenty-four schools in St. Kitts and has worked collaboratively with their principals to ensure the implementation of the Ministry of Education’s mandates. Mrs. Pistana has also performed the duties of Liaison within the office of the Chief Education Officer for the STEP, the St. Kitts & Nevis National Education Foundation; and the ATime4Us Foundation. She has also served on the Enhanced Curriculum Steering Committee, the Steering Committee for the Professionalization of the Teaching Force, and acts as the focal point for the Learning Recovery Enhancement Programme (Let’s REAP). Clearly, Mrs. Pistana is steeped in, and very committed to the advancement and transformation of education within our nation.
As an advocate for lifelong learning, Mrs. Pistana continues to undertake courses and training to keep her abreast of the emerging themes and ideas in education. Worthy of note are the recent courses which buttress her academic achievements: ‘Fostering Educational Quality in CARICOM – Establishing regional Standards for Educational Practices’; ‘UNESCO’s Global Benchmarking & Capacity Building for a National Teaching Council in St Kitts & Nevis’ and ‘Digital Literacy’.
Beyond the professional realm, Lisa’s love for education extends to her involvement in the Sunday School (catechetical) and Youth ministry within her faith community. She is also actively involved in her church’s Hospitality ministry, and she is a Lieutenant in the 2nd St. Kitts Girls Brigade. Undoubtedly and unreservedly, Mrs. Pistana is invested in people empowerment.
Mrs. Pistana currently holds the post of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
