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Meet the Leader
Adrinda Kelly is the Founding CEO of BE NOLA (Black Education for New Orleans), whose mission is to support Black educators and Black-led schools to provide a quality education to New Orleans children. Under her leadership, BE NOLA has delivered high-impact programs to more than 1,000 Black educators, quadrupled its base of supporters, and grown its budget and impact. Adrinda's past work included several years at Teach For America, where she launched the organization's first National Advisory Board of Alumni of Color and grew its annual School Leaders of Color Conference and Staff Diversity Practitioners Conference into flagship events.
Adrinda's leadership has been recognized locally and nationally, including as a 2019 Pahara NextGen Fellow, a 2021 Loyola Institute of Politics Fellow, and as a Top Woman Nonprofit Leader by New Orleans CityBusiness. Adrinda holds a diploma from McDonogh 35, a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, and a master's degree from New York University.
About the Organization
BENOLA builds the capacity of Black-led efforts to advance educational progress in New Orleans. The mission of BE NOLA is to ignite the Black Brilliance that exists throughout schools and neighborhoods to assure Black children thrive.
Meet All the Awardees
Each leader is transforming education across the United States. They're building new learning models, developing talent pipelines for the classroom and beyond, and creating pathways to economic power for Black students and communities.
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