Lissa Slay is a director, educator, and teaching artist, holding a B.A. in Directing for the Theatre (CSUF), M.S. in Education (CSUF), M.F.A. in Theatre Education (MUW), and California Teaching Credentials in both primary (multiple-subject, authorization for Drama/Theatre – CSUF), secondary (English – UCLA), and career technical education (Arts/Media/Entertainment - OCDE) Lissa is currently the Theatre Program Director for Newport Harbor High School, following a five-year tenure as the Director of Theatre for Mater Dei High School. Lissa also serves as adjunct faculty at Vanguard University, where she teaches Theatre Education and was the founding Education Director of American Coast Children’s Theatre, the youth-oriented arm of the university’s resident professional theatre company. Recently, Lissa has joined The Wayward Artist as a company member, with a focus on youth and educational programming.

Lissa is a teaching artist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Disney Musicals in Schools programs, bringing sustainable musical theatre programming into elementary schools with limited arts programming. Lissa has taught as an elementary theatre teacher in Orange Unified School District, Theatre adjunct faculty at Chaffey College, acting teacher at the film conservatory The Playground in Costa Mesa, and toured seventeen states over four tours with the acclaimed Missoula Children’s Theatre. Lissa is a proud member of the Educational Theatre Association, California Educational Theatre Association, and Actors' Equity Association.

Lissa and her husband, Kevin, are the joyful parents to two amazing kids, two dogs and a chinchilla, and reside in southern California.