Director, Richmond Teacher Residency at Alder GSE
kle@mwacademy.org

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Kelly serves as the Director of the Richmond cohort, which consists of Making Waves Academy (5–12), Richmond College Preparatory (K–6), and Caliber Beta Academy and Caliber Change Makers Academy (TK–8). She is a first-generation Vietnamese-American immigrant. Kelly is also a proud English-language learner. She believes equity is achieved through sustaining urgency and demanding high accountability. She embodies this philosophy by leading by example, every day.

Kelly has over a decade of classroom experience, ranging from preschool to college, both internationally and domestically. Her expertise is interdisciplinary approaches in teaching social sciences, with emphasis on STEAM and Maker Education. Having held multiple leadership roles prior to transitioning to the Director position, she is excited to leverage her knowledge of rigor and compliance to support residents and mentors in identifying and reaching their professional goals. 

Kelly lives in Richmond with her partner and two sons. She loves gardening and traveling. A goal on her bucket list is to embark on a multiweek family safari in southern Africa. Kelly is confident that she makes the best phở soup, though she admits to struggling in certain areas of growth, one of which is cutting back on binge-watching series on long weekends.