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 2025-2026 school year will mark my 26th 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 2025-2026 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 2025-2026 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, and the ESOL team.
This is my 23rd 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. Milena Fuentes
Assistant Principal
Hola! I am very excited to begin my second year at Lilburn Elementary School as a member of the administrative team. I am the proud Assistant Principal for the Special Education Department. In addition, I lead the implementation of Title I and Family Engagement programs at LES.
I can’t believe the 2025-2026 school year marks my 17th year as an educator in GCPS! I have taught Kindergarten, First, and Third grades. I have also served as Parent Liaison, Parent Instructional Coordinator, and as a Specialist and Family Engagement Coordinator in the department of Federal Programs at the District office.
My educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Javeriana University (Colombia), a Master of Arts in Teaching Early Childhood Education from Mercer University (Atlanta), a Specialist Degree in Curriculum & Instruction, and an Educational Leadership Certification from Piedmont College (Atlanta).
On a personal note, I was born in Colombia, and I moved to Atlanta 25 years ago. Fun fact: I have lived in three different countries. I am also bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate. Outside of school, I enjoy traveling around the world, and exploring cuisine from different cultures. I also enjoy watching movies, reading, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.
I look forward to working with students, supporting faculty and staff, and partnering with families and the community to ensure that LES has a successful 2025-2026 school year!
Dr. Heather Mitchell
Assistant Principal
I am honored to be a member of the administrative team at Lilburn Elementary School. This will be my 8th year at LES and each year gets better and better. My primary responsibilities are serving as the Assistant Principal for Kindergarten and first 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 26th 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. Tisha Williamson
Assistant Principal
I am proud to be a member of the Lilburn Elementary administrative team serving students and teachers in 4th and 5th grades, 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 30th 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.