Estée Kelly

Estée Kelly entered the field of education as a 2003 Teach For America corps member in St. Louis, MO, where she taught a kindergarten-through-second-grade cross-categorical special education classroom. Following her two-year commitment, she joined Galapagos Charter School, located on the West Side of Chicago, in its founding year. There she taught third and fifth grade. After dedicating three years to the students of Galapagos Charter School, she applied to and was accepted into New Leaders for New Schools—Chicago, Cohort 8. New Leaders for New Schools partners with Chicago Public Schools to prepare exceptional leaders for the district. After serving as a Resident Principal at Legacy Charter School, Estée was selected as the principal of KIPP Indianapolis College Prep. In 2011, she joined the Noble Network of Charter Schools as the founding principal of Gary Comer College Prep Middle School, and in 2015, she became the principal of Gary Comer College Prep. Most recently, before her current role as Chief Schools Officer, Estée served as the Principal of KIPP Vision Academy, a 5-8 middle school located in Atlanta, Georgia. Estée earned her M.A. in educational leadership through National Louis University and is an alumnus of DePaul University, where she received her B.A. in political science. She spends most of her free time cheering on her son Jeremiah at basketball games. She is currently a student-athlete at the University of Wyoming in his freshman year.