Kia Darling-Hammond

Kia Darling-Hammond (she/her) holds a doctorate in developmental and psychological sciences in education, is author of the Bridge to Thriving Framework©, and co-author of The Civil Rights Road to Deeper Learning: Five Essentials for Equity. As CEO of the research and education firm Wise Chipmunk LLC, she leverages more than 25 years of experience in youth development, education, and organizational leadership to offer healing-centered research, advising, coaching, counseling, and public speaking, as well as designs for professional learning, curriculum development, and organizational growth. Darling-Hammond’s work emphasizes the importance of combining the science of learning and development with healing justice and transformative justice to promote an evolution toward thriving for all. This approach is grounded in the knowledge that innovation driven by the wisdom of those furthest from power is key to improving everyone’s lives. In addition to her books, she has published work in Equity and Excellence in Education, Liberal Education, Nonprofit Quarterly, and the Lancet. She serves as a member of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman’s Black Mental Health Brain Trust, is a contributing scholar and advisor to the Sports Equity Lab at Yale, and sits on the Wild Seed Liberation Land Board of Directors.