Kelly Alexander

Kelly D. Alexander brings more than 35 years of experience in public education to the preparation of school leaders, spanning classroom teaching, school and district administration, and university roles. At Arizona State University, she teaches graduate coursework in educational administration and provides individualized coaching to aspiring principals and administrators. In recognition of this work, she received the 2026 Association for Professional Educational Leadership (APEL) Outstanding Adjunct Professor Award.

Her work at ASU extends to international and community-centered leadership development. As a faculty mentor for the ASU/Oman Visiting Scholars Leadership Program, she helped to design and lead a multi-phase learning experience that blended virtual instruction, school and district immersions, and structured reflection tailored to each scholar's home context. Her earlier roles include mentoring scholars from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Building Leadership Through School Immersion Project, managing the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for international educators, and serving as program manager and leadership coach for Collaborative Leading in Indigenous Communities, a $1 million Arizona Department of Education grant initiative.

Before joining ASU, Alexander spent nearly three decades in the Kyrene School District. As principal of Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle School, she led the school to an "Excelling"/A rating, and later, as principal of Kyrene del Pueblo, she helped launch the district's first signature school, a fine arts academy centered on arts integration. She also served as interim principal of Kyrene del Cielo Elementary and, for nine years, as Director of Community Education and Outreach Services, where she built out-of-school-time programs that generated district revenue, re-established the Kyrene Foundation, expanded the Kyrene Family Resource Center, and served as district spokesperson.

Her areas of expertise include instructional leadership, culturally responsive practice, community and family engagement, and mentoring the next generation of school leaders. She holds a Master of Arts in Educational Administration and Supervision and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, both from Arizona State University, and maintains active Arizona certification as a K–12 principal