Lisa Turtle is trendy and talkative. She is the clique's fashion expert and the gossip queen of Bayside High. She comes from a wealthy family; her father and mother are surgeons.

Originally, Lisa's character was written to be multi-ethnic (of Caucasian and Jewish descent); however, Voorhies was given the role. Because of her upbringing, Lisa always has access to the latest fashions and knows when something is "in" and when it is not. Like Jessie and Screech, Lisa has been Zack's friend since grade school, and some episodes hinted that she harbored a small crush on him. Lisa's goal is to become a world famous fashion designer (Voorhies later played fashion designer Jasmine Malone on The Bold and the Beautiful). For the majority of the gang's years at Bayside, one of the running gags was Screech's fruitless attempts to woo Lisa. While his romantic feelings for her are never returned and often rejected with insults and jokes, eventually she realizes she has developed a soft spot for Screech and even attends the Bayside Senior Prom with him. Upon graduation and after a successful fashion show, Lisa was accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology.