Dr. Nicole Kelly

Dr. Nicole Kelly is a visionary academic leader who is skilled in program and curriculum development.  She had dedicated her life’s work to furthering education as a practice of freedom and implementing practices and educational policies that enhance the lives of minoritized and marginalized communities.  Dr. Kelly has expertise in public and private higher education, adult education, non-credit programs, K-12 pathways, global communities, and employer engagement.  She is an effective facilitator, public speaker, and grant writer.  Her administrative skills and expertise lie in equity advancement, career education, program analysis, budgeting, technology platforms, education policy, teaching, and research.  

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Dr. Kelly recently served as the Regional Director of Global Trade and the Director of Workforce Development at Cañada College. She implemented the Adult Education Program at College of Alameda where she spearheaded non-credit programs in the Fruitvale Area of Oakland, allowing the college to qualify for HSI funding. Prior to working in the community college space, she designed and implemented the City of San Pablo’s Safe and Healthy Futures program through the Contra Costa County Office of Education, which allowed middle and high school students to partner with the National Park Service and work on a certified organic vegetable nursery in their community. Finally, as an Education Pioneers Fellow, she was hired by the Department of Education in Austin, TX to evaluate an Adult Education pilot program. In every role, Dr. Kelly utilizes her interagency acumen, networking, and project management skills, to take an idea from vision to sustainability. 

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Dr. Kelly is a global citizen and a life-long learner. She taught ESOL in Costa Rica, led study abroad trips to China, and participated in a doctoral-level study abroad course in South Africa. Traveling to Johannesburg and Cape Town, Dr. Kelly conducted an interdisciplinary examination of the political, social, and economic contexts in South Africa and the United States. She has also had the pleasure of teaching political science and international relations at the community college. 

Her dissertation entitled, “Intergenerational Knowledge Production between Women of African Descent,” explored the oral histories of grandmothers, daughters, and granddaughters from four geo-political regions: Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. With the passing of AB 101, AB 1460, and the proposal to extend the A-G requirements to A-H, Dr. Kelly's qualitative research brought new insight to the current Ethnic Studies dialogue happening in California as well as possibilities in interdisciplinary studies.