Kimberly Neal-Brannum is the founder of BELIEVE Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before founding BELIEVE Schools, she served as a Managing Director of Secondary Education for KIPP: DC. Under her leadership, she successfully turned around KIPP: DC’s largest middle school, and founded Muchin College Prep, which remains one of the highest performing schools in Noble Network of Charter Schools and one of Chicago’s best schools. She holds an M.S.W. from Washington University, St. Louis, an M.Ed. from Teachers College-Columbia University, and is a graduate of Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principal Supervisors Academy Fellowship.
Life coaching, leadership development, and being on the “dance floor” with students is Kimberly’s happy place. She enjoys leading summer professional development, coaching leaders, problem solving, and laughing. One of the things she focuses on is re-imagining how we educated Black and Brown children. She has dedicated her life to figuring this out and wants that to be her legacy work. She also leans in on literacy, social and emotional well-being, and talent. She feels uniquely qualified in those areas and enjoys working with leaders across the sector.