Raised by a strong single mother along with her older brother, Lisa was determined to

make her mother proud. Growing up in the projects of the South Bronx was rough, but it

was a strong motivating factor for her to pursue her dreams of becoming educated and

making a difference in her lifetime. Lisa and her family moved to the Mott Haven

Housing Projects at the start of her high school career at Herbert H. Lehman High

School (1995-1999). She was in the honors program and graduated in the top 2% of her

class, ranking number 7 in her entire graduating class. It was during the college

application and scholarship search process that she was introduced to the Juanita

James Memorial Scholarship Foundation by her guidance counselor. Lisa became the

1999 recipient of the scholarship and entered into a wonderful family of recipients. Lisa

decided to attend Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology where she earned a

Bachelor’s of Science in Human Biology Health and Society. During the course of her

undergraduate career, public health became of great interest as a profession. So she

decided to attend graduate school at the University at Albany School of Public Health. In

2005 not only did she earn a Master’s Degree in Public Health, she also moved to

Jacksonville, Fl and married her fiancé in July becoming Lisa Briggins Tate. In March of

2006 she gave birth to a daughter Zoe K. Tate. She taught biological sciences for one

year from 2006 to 2007 and transitioned to a role in health & welfare in the financial

industry for 3 years. In 2010, Lisa decided to pursue clinical training and completed an

Associates Degree of Science in Nursing in 2012 at Florida State College at

Jacksonville. In February 2013 she passed the boards and became a Registered Nurse

in the state of Florida. In 2014, she earned a second Bachelor’s Degree of Science in

Nursing Summa Cum Laude at the University of North Florida. That same year she was

inducted into the Nursing Honor Society: Sigma Theta Tau. Lisa has practiced as a

Registered Nurse in various roles to include: school health, medical-surgical, behavioral

health, rehabilitative health and Neurological Intensive Care. In 2018 Lisa became a

certified case manager (CCM) and currently works in Care Management and Utilization

Management, utilizing both her public health background and clinical nursing

background. In 2022 she became a certified health coach (CHC) and started a personal

wellnes blog. In 2024, she published her first book “The Essence of an Empath “. Family

and motherhood remain significant motivational factors to her professionalism and

ability to care for others with excellence. Lisa is grateful for her foundation of faith taught

and lived out by her mother, and she is grateful to have the opportunity to have a well-

rounded career as a Nurse and public health professional. She is also inspired by her

daughter who has her sights on a career in health/medicine and who is currently an

undergraduate student at the University of South Florida. Lisa proudly professes that all

things are possible by grace and through faith! You can go from the projects in the

Bronx to the Ivy League and make an impact in this world! Humble beginnings can lead

to Legacy Living!

(2025)