Kimberly Eckert

Background

About Kimberly Eckert

Kimberly Eckert currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Apprenticeship Development and Head of Instructional Innovation for Craft Education @ Western Governors University. Previously, she was the inaugural Dean of Oxford Teachers College at Reach University and the Founder and State Coordinator of Educators Rising Louisiana, where she worked to create stronger access to a more diverse, learner-ready teacher pipeline. With 16 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Kimberly has received several accolades, including recognition as the 2018 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, a 2019 NEA Social Justice Activist of the Year national finalist, a 2020 Global Teacher Prize honoree/ambassador, and the Louisiana Public Interest Fellow for her pioneering work around teacher recruitment. Throughout her career, Kimberly has held several pivotal leadership roles, including serving as the Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Educator Development at LDOE and the West Baton Rouge Innovative Programs Coordinator. In these positions, she spearheaded multiple school system and statewide initiatives to improve teacher quality and foster innovative educational programs. She has a rich background as a special education teacher, instructional coach, reading specialist, Mentor/Master teacher, and teacher of English. Her passion lies in authentic, problem-based learning that empowers students to find their voice and agency. In addition, Kimberly is co-author of Flip the System: US-How Teachers Can Transform Education and Save Democracy. In her spare time, she is pursuing a PhD in Learning, Instruction, & Innovation and enjoys cooking, eating cheese, playing video games, dreaming big, and building Legos with her daughter.