Oliver takes reins as GISD’s communications director

Lissa Oliver sees her new role as Granbury ISD’s director of communications as a way to build up the community and to follow the servant example set by her husband’s grandparents, J.C. and Sylvia Campbell.

Both Campbells were beloved and well known in the community, especially J.C., who was a fixture at Granbury City Council and Hood County Commissioners Court meetings until his health began to fail. After he died last year, the former city councilman was recognized on the floor of the Texas House and Senate.

“J.C. has been such an inspiration to me,” Oliver said. “I watched him be just a great servant, and that is such a lost art.”

Campbell left a vacuum and so did Jeff Meador, GISD’s previous communications director. Meador held the job for 15 years and was known as a tireless supporter of the school district. He recently resigned to pursue new adventures.

“I’m not going to be able to replace him,” Oliver said of the predecessor she admired. “I’m not ever going to be able to fill his shoes.”

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Oliver moved to Granbury with her family when she was just four. Having moved here at such a young age, she considers herself a Granbury native.

She married her high school sweetheart, Casey Oliver, now executive pastor of StoneWater Church. They began dating when she was 16.

The couple has five children, all girls. Baylor will start the new school year as a freshman at Granbury High School. Larin will be in eighth grade at Acton Middle School, Mailey will be in seventh grade there, and twins Elle and Kate will enter second grade at Oak Woods School.

In addition to being involved with several StoneWater Church programs, Oliver has volunteered for Hood County Christmas for Children, the Brazos Pregnancy Center, the Rainbow Room and other initiatives that support the community.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE

Oliver earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. That degree was followed by a Master of Education in school librarianship, which she received from the University of North Texas in 2007, and a post-graduate principal certification from Lamar University in 2020.

She holds a host of other certifications and the “leadership” list on her resume is even longer. It includes serving as a member of the Oak Woods Campus Leadership Team; president of the AMS Lady Pirate Booster Club; newspaper sponsor and yearbook advisor for AMS; advisor for the GHS Key Club; and a member of the Hood County Library Advisory Board, among other things.

Oliver’s drive and leadership skills were evident as a college student when she worked for Wells Fargo Bank in Austin from 2001 to 2004. She handled customer relations and became lead teller.

In fall 2004, she became a media production and technology student teacher at GHS. During the spring 2005 semester, she was a long-term substitute there.

From 2005-2008, Oliver worked as an English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) teacher and girls athletic coach at Hillwood Middle School in the Keller school district.

She came back to Granbury in 2008 and has worked for GISD ever since.

Oliver’s jobs within GISD have included: GHS ELAR teacher, 2008-2010; ELAR and journalism teacher, AMS, 2010-2011; library media specialist, Oak Woods School, 2011-2020 (she was named Teacher of the Year in 2018); instructional specialist, Oak Woods, 2020-2021; and assistant principal for Oak Woods from 2021 until recently being named the district’s new communications director.

“We are excited to have Lissa Oliver serving as our new director of communications,” Superintendent Jeremy Glenn stated in an email to the Hood County News. “Her experience includes service to GISD as a teacher, librarian, instructional specialist, and assistant principal. She is a native of Granbury, and a parent of students in the district. We are confident she knows how to reach families in our community and share the great things happening in the district.”

Oliver has hired an assistant: Kellye Brown, who worked as a reading tutor at Acton Elementary. Brown’s first day on the job was Tuesday.

Together, the communications team will cover all aspects of the rapidly growing school district.

Oliver said she has always been interested in the communications “arena” and for years admired the way Meador juggled so many tasks and championed the school district. She intends to do the same, but in her own way.

“When this (job) came open, my mind just couldn’t stop dreaming of what it would look like to be able to facilitate or direct communication in this district in terms of really servicing all of our families, our community, our staff, our kids,” said Oliver, who tackled the job with energy even before her contract took effect July 1. “Even though I may not have all the professional experience, I have a vision for this community being unified within a streamlined communication.”