Administrative Team
Administrative Team
Mr. Mike Bender
Principal
Dear Lilburn Elementary School Community,
I am humbled and honored to be principal of Lilburn Elementary and be a part of this excellent school community! I can assure you that I share in this school community’s dedication to caring for each and every student while providing them with a meaningful learning environment.
Although I am an educator, I am also a husband and dad with two children who love sports and outdoor activities. I like reading when I have downtime, and I also try to stay active—I recently began Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and am learning a lot about myself through this practice!
The 2026-2027 school year will mark my 27th year in education. I spent four years teaching and coaching at Meadowcreek High School, so I am very excited about this opportunity to return to this area of the county. In addition to my work at the high school, I served as principal at Woodward Mill Elementary. I have also worked at two middle schools in Gwinnett County.
I firmly believe that every child can exceed and that the cooperation between home and school builds trust and self-esteem in students. I look forward to partnering with families and the community, and I welcome conversations with you about our school. We are looking to open the school to more activities and events for families during the 2026-2027 school year.
To our students, I hope that you all are excited about this school year. It will be a meaningful and fun year, and we will be learning together to achieve the highest accomplishments.
To conclude, I sincerely welcome your input, conversation, and engagement in our school community. Let us keep our students the primary focus of our work. I cannot wait to celebrate our collective successes during the school year!
Sincerely,
Mike Bender
Principal
Dr. Maya Arum
Assistant Principal
I am so excited to be joining Lilburn Elementary School as the new Assistant Principal! My primary responsibilities include supporting kindergarten, first grade, second grade and the ESOL team.
This is my 24th year in education. I began teaching right after graduating from Oglethorpe University in 2003 with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. Over the years, I’ve taught Pre-K, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and ESOL, and I’ve also served as an instructional coach. While teaching, I continued my own educational journey, earning a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Mercer University, as well as my Tier I Educational Leadership certificate from the University of West Georgia. I am especially passionate about supporting multilingual learners, as I also grew up speaking two languages—English and Japanese.
When I’m not at work, you’ll likely find me curled up with a good book, traveling, or spending time with my husband, dog, and close friends. I also enjoy trying new recipes and taking dance and exercise classes in my spare time.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the amazing Lilburn Elementary community and look forward to supporting our students, teachers, and families this school year!
Mrs. Christine Douthart
Assistant Principal
My name is Christine Douthart, and I have been a proud educator for the past 31 years with 28 of those spent in Gwinnett County. While I retired from my ten - year role as Principal of Five Forks Middle school a little over a year ago, it has been my greatest joy to return to elementary school as a part-time Assistant Principal. There is nothing better than being able to continue to support amazing educators and students!
On a personal note, I have been married for almost thirty years to my husband, Adam, and we have one son, Carson. We love to get out and hike, walk our dog, Luther, and spend time with friends and family.
I am so thankful to have landed in such a wonderful school for the 26-27 school year, and I cannot wait to get to know our community!
Sincerely,
Christine Douthart
Dr. Heather Mitchell
Assistant Principal
I am honored to be a member of the administrative team at Lilburn Elementary School. This will be my 9th year at LES and each year gets better and better. My primary responsibilities are serving as the Assistant Principal for second, fourth and fifth grade as well as the testing coordinator for the school.
After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Biology from North Georgia College and my education certification from Brenau University, I began my career as a first-grade teacher with Gwinnett County Public Schools. For me it felt like coming home since I am a GCPS graduate myself. I had not been in the classroom for very long before I discovered my love of teaching math, which led me to a new role as a math coach. I eventually had other opportunities within the school, including teaching third grade for a few years then functioning as the school’s science specialist. I continued my education while teaching full time, receiving a Master’s degree and a PhD from the University of Georgia.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy traveling, working in my garden, reading, walking my dogs and spending time with friends and family. I am also a big sports fan, especially college football, the Georgia Bulldogs in particular. You will always find me watching their games every Saturday in the fall.
As I begin my 27th year in education, I feel so fortunate to be part of the LES staff. I will continue to work hard to support our students, their families and our teachers. I’m excited about what’s to come this year!
Mrs. Cathy Richards
Assistant Principal
Bio coming soon.
Mrs. Tisha Williamson
Assistant Principal
I am proud to be a member of the Lilburn Elementary administrative team serving students and teachers in the gifted program and the early intervention program. At Lilburn Elementary we are a family. We believe our students deserve the best education possible, and we are committed to giving them our best every day.
This school year marks my 31st year as an educator in Gwinnett County Public Schools. I have taught grades kindergarten, first, second, and fourth. I have served as grade-level chair, teacher mentor, and instructional coach.
My educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Psychology from the University of North Georgia, a gifted certification from Gwinnett County Public Schools, a Master of Science in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University, and a Leadership Certification from the University of West Georgia.
Education is my passion. I believe that being an educator is the most important and influential position a person can have. Being an educator is a privilege and I take great pride in partnering with teachers, parents, and our community to guide students to reach their fullest potential.