Co-Director & Head of School — BrightPath Foundation
Dr. Lori Pisani
Educator. Curriculum Oversight. The academic force behind BuildingBlocs Academy's learning system.
"Every person who walks through our programs deserves the same quality of education as anyone else — and the compassion to meet them where they are."
— Dr. Lori E. Pisani, Co-Director & Head of School
Role at BrightPath
Her Role
The Academic Heart of BrightPath
Dr. Lori E. Pisani is an accomplished educator and curriculum architect who serves as Co-Director of BrightPath Foundation and Head of School at BuildingBlocs Academy. She is the CEO of BuildingBlocs Literacy, LLC overseeing the creating and publishing of educational content.She oversees the academic design of the Academy's Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)-based learning system — ensuring every program meets the highest standards of rigor, accessibility, and compassion.
With a career rooted in education and instructional design, Dr. Pisani brings the academic credibility and pedagogical depth that transforms a powerful idea into a structured, scalable learning system. Her work ensures that every course BrightPath delivers — whether for a veteran rebuilding after service, a family navigating financial hardship, or a community member seeking a fresh start — is built to produce lasting, measurable change.
Dr. Pisani's approach is grounded in the belief that education should be both intellectually sound and radically accessible. She designs for the whole person — integrating trauma-informed principles, emotional intelligence frameworks, and practical financial literacy into a cohesive curriculum that meets learners where they are.
As Co-Director, she works alongside Founder Aaron B. Kershaw to shape the Foundation's strategic direction — ensuring that BrightPath's mission of reaching 25 million learners by 2030 is backed by the academic infrastructure to deliver on that promise.
Areas of Expertise
Curriculum Architecture
Dr. Pisani approves the academic scaffolding behind every BuildingBlocs course — ensuring each lesson builds on the last and meets rigorous standards for adult learning.
Social-Emotional Learning
With deep expertise in SEL frameworks, she ensures every program addresses the whole person — emotional regulation, self-awareness, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Instructional Design
Dr. Pisani assists Aaron translating complex concepts into accessible, engaging content that learners at every level can apply immediately in their lives.
Academic Standards & Rigor
Every BrightPath program undergoes her review for pedagogical integrity — balancing compassion with the highest standards of educational quality.
Her Philosophy
Education that honors the whole person.
01
Rigor Without Barriers
High academic standards should never mean high barriers to entry. Dr. Pisani designs programs that are both intellectually sound and radically accessible.
02
Compassion as Curriculum
Every lesson is built with the learner's lived experience in mind — trauma-informed, stigma-free, and designed to meet people where they are.
03
Learning That Lasts
Short-term knowledge transfer isn't the goal. Dr. Pisani builds for lasting behavioral change — the kind that reshapes how people lead their lives.
The Work
Behind every BrightPath course is her care.
Dr. Pisani oversees the academic architecture of BuildingBlocs Academy's full course library — 7 program tracks, 100% proprietary curriculum, built to serve veterans, families, and communities.
The Leadership Team
Dr. Pisani & Aaron Kershaw — Together at the Helm
Aaron brings the mission, the story, and the community relationships. Dr. Pisani brings the academic rigor and instructional architecture. Together they lead a Foundation built to last.
Dr. Lori Pisani
Co-Director & Head of School
You are here"When people learn how to lead themselves, they can lead their lives."
— Aaron B. Kershaw, Founder & CEO