ABOUT
Meet Kimberly
Global Program Strategy Executive
Education | Philanthropy | Social Innovation
Kimberly is a Nigerian woman—replete with Louisiana charm and an NYC-inspired sense of bravado. A global program strategy executive, she brings a blend of humor and humanity to 20+ years of leadership across education, philanthropy, and social innovation. No matter the sector, her conviction remains: human potential is profoundly shaped by institutional conditions, and those conditions can be redesigned.
As Vice President of Programs at Echoing Green, Kimberly led strategy under the $75M+ Racial Equity Philanthropic Fund, shaping the institutional conditions to onboard more than 6,100 emerging social innovators, overseeing $20M+ in unrestricted grants, and supporting ~1,000 Fellows across 80+ countries. She restructured the 15-person Programs function; established operating systems for hiring, onboarding, staff development, and feedback; and oversaw the redesign of the 18-month Fellowship experience. With her team, she expanded partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities ninefold. Kimberly elevated Fellows' work and Echoing Green's mission externally, writing and speaking in forums including Philanthropy News Digest, Skoll World Forum, SXSW EDU, and the Yale Philanthropy Conference.
$20M+
Unrestricted grants overseen
Echoing Green
Kimberly in conversation with participants at TED Women.
An educator by training and a nonprofit executive by experience, Kimberly's leadership spans advisory firm oversight, school-system strategy, and grantmaking. Previously, as an inaugural Partner at Promise54, Kimberly co-led firmwide strategy, staff development, and culture transformation for a 25-person remote-first team while overseeing senior client engagements and generating ~$1M in annual client revenue. She co-authored Promise54's interactive case studies of organizational change, leveraging data from more than 4,000 organizations. For the hallmark nine-month Accelerator, Kimberly led recruitment strategy, program design, and cross-functional delivery.
40+
Organizations annually
Nine-month leadership and culture Accelerator
Before Promise54, during doctoral study at Harvard, her consulting work included Pre-K enrollment, student behavior management, and staff performance structures across three districts collectively serving more than 60,000 students. During her culminating research as Program Officer in Residence at Walton Family Foundation, she advised on inclusive internal talent structures and developed grant initiatives that secured funding to support intentionally diverse school models.
60,000+
Students in three districts advised
Harvard-era consulting
As Founding Associate Dean at Relay, New York’s first stand-alone graduate school of education in over 80 years, Kimberly designed and led programs training 650+ educators across New York City, extending her influence from individual classrooms to novice teachers serving more than 25,000 students. Internally, she established faculty hiring, development, and evaluation practices. Externally, she tripled the NYC Teaching Fellows partnership and led international work including faculty development at South Africa’s Lebone College and review-team service at Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls.
650+
Educators trained across New York City
Relay
Kimberly developing educators at Relay Graduate School of Education.
Today, as Founder and Principal Advisor of KEO Advising, Kimberly brings her executive experience to organizations navigating questions of strategy, leadership, and culture. Since moving into the practice full-time in 2024, her engagements have reached more than 650 leaders across 22 countries through management development, executive coaching, facilitated learning and strategy conversations. After a decade in Harlem, Kimberly now resides in Washington, DC with a song for every occasion and a pandemic-inspired collection of houseplants.
22
Countries; 650+ leaders reached
KEO Advising engagements since 2024
Education
Doctor of Education Leadership | Harvard Graduate School of Education
Master of Science in Teaching | Pace University
Bachelor of Arts with Distinction | University of Virginia | Jefferson & Echols Scholar
2021-present
KEO Advising
Founder & Principal Advisor
Selected recognition
Black Fox Fellow (2022 & 2023)
Derek Bok Center for Teaching Excellence Award (Harvard 2017)
Pahara Fellow (2014)
2021-2024
Echoing Green
Vice President, Programs
2019-2021
Promise54
Partner
2018-2019
Curriculum Associates
Vice President, Educator Success
2015-2018
Walton Family Foundation · Harvard
Program Officer in Residence · Managing Consultant
2010-2015
Teacher U · Relay GSE
Course & Program Director · Associate Dean
Career at a Glance
Earlier career
Harlem classrooms · Democracy Prep
Teacher · Founding Reading Department Lead
“Kimberly consistently directs both our moral and strategic focus. She has a brilliant mind and heart – together they cut right to the center of purpose and impact. I deeply appreciate her consistent pushes to think about what is inclusive in both the work that we do and in the ways that we operate.”
Partner | National Talent Advising Firm