Dr. Kelley T. Le

Kelley Acacia

Dr. Kelley T. Le
Co-Founder of RRISE UP

Dr. Kelley T. Le has served schools as a high school science teacher, university lecturer, instructional coach, and educational leader in California. She received her educational training through Center X at UCLA and her doctorate from UCLA’s Educational Leadership Program.

As a First Generation Southeast Asian American, the focus on science and equity for justice is one of her core beliefs for revamping science education.

Dr. Le’s focus on education for climate action comes from her dissertation work where she created, facilitated, and studied multi-day teacher professional development programs anchored on the climate crisis. The program was a collaboration effort with over 50 local environmental organizations and national educational directors from NASA, NOAA, NCSE, Yale, ACE, and many more.

The programs support teachers in using their agency and platform to help students as community change agents starting first with deep knowledge to move towards action. The programs were also fundamentally grounded on taking on climate change through an equity for justice lens to unveil the complex and intersectional nature of the climate crisis.

She firmly believes that all students should have the right to learn about climate science and in ways that will build their capacity as informed young leaders who will engineer solutions that we desperately need to bend the curve on climate change.

Education

  • Ed.D.

    Educational Leadership Program - UCLA

  • M.Ed.

    Science Education - UCLA

  • Single Subject Teaching Credential

    General & Chemistry Specialized Center X - UCLA

  • M.A.

    CSU Dominguez Hills

  • B.A.

    Loyola Marymount University

Professional Experience

  • Advisory Board Member

  • Executive Committee Member

  • Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project Leadership Training

  • Action for Climate Empowerment National Strategy Framework for The United States

    Helped to create and edit the framework with various stakeholders

  • UCI CalTeach Math & Science Program

    Teacher Network Coordinator, University Lecturer, & Field Supervisor

  • UCLA

    Science Project instructional coach, science PD developer and facilitator.
    Curtis Center science consultant for integrated math and science curricula.
    C(n)SI guest teacher application instructor for teacher PD & HS course creation collaborator.

  • CVUHSD, ESUSD, TUSD

    High School Earth Science, Chemistry, & Nanoscience Teacher
    Served in various roles: Science Instructional Coach, Department Chair, District Course Lead, UC-Approved HS Nanoscience Course Author, BTSA Mentor, UCLA Mentor Teacher, Marine Science Academy & Biomedical Careers Academy Leadership Teacher.