Our Students, Now: Executive Assistant Lisa Autieri

Lisa Autieri, a Class of 1984 Mount Vernon High School graduate, has spent her entire professional career working in the Mount Vernon City School District. After graduating from MVHS, she immediately began working with the District and continues to this day. She has held a number of positions throughout the District, and she has always stayed committed to supporting the schools in the city she grew up in. Now, she serves as the Executive Assistant to the Acting Superintendent and makes an impact through her role as one of the primary points of contact in the District. 

“Lisa has given back so much to this District in her time here, and she is a great benefit to me now as my Executive Assistant,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith. “She has served the students of Mount Vernon for almost 40 years, and we are so grateful for all that she has done for them. I am excited to continue working with her towards the goal of shaping our scholars’ lives.” 

View the Q+A with her below! 

Positions held in District: Typist, Senior Clerk, Payroll Clerk, Property Records Clerk, Teacher, Reading Specialist, Community School Coordinator, Substitute Teacher, and now Executive Assistant to the Acting Superintendent 

1. What inspired you to come back to Mount Vernon City School District and work in education? 
 
I never left! I graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1984 and began working in the purchasing department in 1985. Almost 40 years later, I’m still here. 

2. How has MVHS/MVCSD prepared you for your career? 
 
Former Superintendent Brenda Smith was my typing teacher at MVHS. Little did I know back then that typing (and not just with thumbs!) would be a critical part of almost every job today! Truly, though, almost every supervisor, principal, and administrator I have worked for has been supportive and encouraging. These great people were great leaders who made me want to work hard for them. 

3. Is there a teacher or mentor that you can remember from your time here at Mount Vernon that inspires you in your work today? What did you take from them and how do you transfer that to your work? 
 
Dr. William Prattella, former Superintendent of Schools, demanded excellence. If anyone sent him a memo with a grammatical or spelling error, he sent it back with the error circled in red. He held grammar workshops for secretaries. If you were continuously late, you might find him sitting in your chair, waiting for you in the morning. These “reminders” forced me to develop a work ethic that always resulted in great employee/employer relationships. He is the one who forced me to return to school and get my degrees. Literally forced. 

4. What was your favorite part of attending the Mount Vernon City School District? 
 
I always tell people that my four years at MVHS were the best. Photography class with Mr. Rao, the Knightettes at Memorial Field with a real live horse and knight (Mr. Veteri) riding in before the football games (our marching band was the BOMB), even getting caught leaving school early by Mr. Capozzola and, as punishment, working in the main office for Ms. Louise Glover for the rest of the school year during my lunch. My mother worked in the cafeteria at the time, so I guess it wasn’t the smartest idea to cut class. 

5. What is the feeling of working in the same District you graduated from? 
 
I have such feelings of pride and nostalgia working here. My mother, sister, and in-laws also worked in this district for years and years, so I’m always speaking to someone who knows my family. I have taught children of classmates, become colleagues with some of my former teachers, and worked for some former basketball players that I used to chaperone! The best part is meeting people from Mount Vernon, no matter where I am. I feel like everything circles back to MV. That’s why they can’t get rid of me. 

6. Do you have any advice for students who want to pursue education in the future? What do you wish someone had told you when you were in school that could help someone on their journey to becoming an educator? 
 
Try, and try very hard, to keep every child’s unique situation at the forefront of your mind. Before you make any decision regarding assignments, discipline, or even the language you use to address the student, be mindful of what environment he came from that morning, and what environment he’s returning to when he leaves you. 

7. What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time in the school district? 
 
I wish everyone would have known the great things about this city and school district, not just the negatives. I find it so unfortunate that our young people and their families are inundated with awful stories and rumors, but the positive, constructive, and sometimes wonderfully amazing stories are hard to come by. 

8. What advice would you give current MVCSD students today to help them on their academic and/or career journey? 
 
Get to know your people. Become familiar with your peers, your professors, your colleagues. Make it a point to try and understand what kind of person they are, how best to communicate with them, and develop positive relationships. I tell my own kids what a great feeling it is when someone you knew “back in the day” tells you they remember how nice you were to them. Bottom line? What you give out, you get back…a hundredfold.