Lya Snell is an innovative educational leader who believes in servant leadership. She is an education program manager at the Georgia Department of Education, specializing in mathematics, computer science, and STEM/STEAM education. She previously served in the Division of School and District Effectiveness of the Georgia Department of Education, supporting principals and district leaders with school and district transformation. She has also served as director of curriculum and instruction, curriculum coordinator, principal of summer school programs, researcher, principal investigator for various research projects, project director for multiple grants, teacher, and chief educational officer for a progressive consulting firm. Snell was the first African American mathematics coordinator in one of the ten largest school districts in the state of Georgia. She was the founder, CEO, and mathematics coordinator for Math Innovation LLC, providing leadership, curriculum support, professional development, and learning resources to educators, school districts, and states. Snell serves on several state and national committees aimed at improving instruction through innovative teaching and learning. She received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from Alabama State University, both in mathematics; an education specialist degree in general administration from Central Michigan University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Mercer University.