Kelly is an educator, learner, and relationship-builder who prioritizes educational equity, racial justice, and collective impact in transforming our schools and systems. As a senior consultant, she supports districts, organizations, and communities in designing solutions to enact change at the systems level. She is also well-versed in designing learning experiences for educators that build knowledge, skills and capacity in targeted, competency-based ways. 

Prior to joining 2Rev, Kelly was the Director of Pathways within the division of College, Career, and Military Preparation at the Texas Education Agency. In this role, she worked on initiatives aimed at creating and supporting comprehensive, high-quality college and career pathways for Texas students that are aligned with labor market demand. Her previous professional endeavors include a portfolio of experiences across the P-16 continuum, including serving as an instructor of undergraduate level courses in the Teacher Education Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, managing the School of Education’s College Access Program, serving as a Posse Foundation Program Mentor, and working as a Dual Language Kindergarten teacher in Texas and Wisconsin. She has a BS in Elementary Education and Spanish from UW-Madison and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the UT – San Antonio. She also holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis and Curriculum & Instruction from UW-Madison, focusing her research on Latinx teachers’ pathways into education and identifying the opportunities and barriers to the Latinx community pursuing a career in teaching. This research and the need to elevate the voices of the Latinx community remains a passion that Kelly prioritizes as she works with education leaders, educators and community members to transform learning systems.

What inspires you most about this work?

I am most excited about engaging in the educational transformation and innovation that I want to see for my own children’s future. While I have always been passionate and devoted to educational equity and social justice, having children of my own has inspired me in new ways. Our antiquated learning models often reward compliance and status quo, rather than cultivating curiosity, innovation, and creativity. These models also disservice many marginalized populations of students and families. All children deserve an education that is personalized, relevant, and representative of who they are. They deserve an education that will equip them with the knowledge and skills they will need in their future. I am excited about having a seat at the table to help systems re-envision how they can launch equity-centered innovative education ecosystems. I am also excited to engage in education redesign that intentionally addresses equity head-on and ensures a strong diversity of voices, people, and experiences throughout all parts of the education pipeline, including access, engagement, and opportunity.

What does it mean to prioritize equity in transforming education?

Viewing education from the perspective of a critical race scholar - understanding that our education system is a microcosm of our broader society, and that it’s been intentionally designed to be racist. For this reason, students of color are systemically oppressed. It is our responsibility to become anti-racist educators and leaders, not ignoring racism, but finding ways to build self-reflection, empathy, and integration into all of our work. This can be accomplished through better understanding ourselves - our identities, roles, and biases - and acknowledging how our “baggage” impact the way we experience (and see) the world; bringing diverse perspectives and identities to decision-making tables; working collaboratively across communities to understand a diversity of experiences and needs; and “designing at the margins” in ways that center the experiences of those who are most disempowered (based on identity and power) to create learning experiences that will be good for all.