Dr. Kimberly Wright-White
Middle School Principal - Ellison Campus

Kimberly Wright-White knows that success in urban advocacy and education takes determination, focus, perseverance and the ability to bring dignity to the lives of those she serves. With over 25 years in the field, her wealth of experience has allowed her to grow, learn and teach others across various facets of urban advocacy and education. Wright-White completed her B.A. at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and her M.A. at Saint Peter’s University.

Early in her career, Wright-White’s work on behalf of the Newark Mayor’s Office and young adults in the city proved to be a richly rewarding experience. She specialized in the development of youth programs, government relations, and contract compliance. Soon after, she transitioned to leadership roles in the public-school sector. Wright-White’s experiences led to an interest in promoting and researching crisis leadership and further marginalized populations. Her ultimate goal is to disrupt intergenerational poverty for community members at risk of becoming further marginalized after crises.

Wright-White has committed herself to bringing awareness to the lack of diversity within all areas of the urban advocacy and education fields. A seasoned urban education leader, after successfully leading a 1,200 student K-8 school, she was tapped to create and lead two new schools. One school was single-gender and supported girls’ academic, social and emotional growth. The second school supported the academic, career and technical education (CTE) of marginalized high school students. In these roles, Wright-White helped secure major grants and donations from NJDOE, NJPAC, and Newark Trust for Education to further expand much needed social, emotional, and academic supports for marginalized populations.

Dedicated to educating new leaders, Wright-White served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Summer Principals Academy in New York City. Additionally, she is the Founder and CEO of Educational Design Group which is a consulting group meeting all system creation and design needs for the growth of public and private entities. In addition to her passion for mentoring, Wright-White has consistently collaborated with CBOs and NFPs at all levels, to meet the needs of marginalized community members and staff. Collaboration is one of the key components of the transformational leadership that Wright-White embodies.

As a supporter of BIPOC communities, Wright-White advocates for their mental health, academic, financial, and technical access needs. She participates in numerous professional development activities to keep her abreast of new and evolving innovation ideas and programs. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Management with an emphasis in Higher Education at Hampton University. She resides in New Jersey with her husband Michael and three daughters Alexa, Ashley, and Ariel.