Director, Aspire Teacher Residency LA at Alder GSE
kelli.cannon@aspirepublicschools.org

Kelli has been an educator for over 20 years—as a teacher and as a school, district, and organizational leader. Prior to rejoining Aspire in the Fall of 2020 as an Academic Program Manager, Kelli worked at Aspire Public Schools as the Regional Director of Instructional Effectiveness and Special Projects. Before joining Aspire, she served Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, as the Director of Educator Effectiveness. Before moving to Los Angeles, Kelli spent 10 years working for Valdosta City Schools in her home state of Georgia, where she was a teacher, intervention specialist, instructional coach, principal resident, and Response to Intervention lead for the district.

Growing up in the South, Kelli’s eyes were quickly opened to racism, white privilege, inequities, and injustices. She is fully committed to the anti-racism and educational-equity work at hand. As a first-generation college graduate, adult learning and teacher education are near and dear to her heart. Kelli holds degrees in Curriculum & Instructional Leadership, Organizational Leadership & Adult Learning, and Early Childhood Education. Much of her work at CMOs has been focused on talent—especially teacher and leader development in instruction, observations and feedback, and data-driven decision-making. She believes in the power of love, joy, well-being, community, and the importance of collective learning and development in partnership with each other. Kelli resides in downtown Los Angeles, and, in her spare time, she enjoys cooking and spending quality time with the people she loves.