As an Excelle Mentor Coach, Dr. Ridley is skilled at creating a space for the new head of school to share openly, reflect honestly, and feel seen and supported. Kim was one of the inaugural members of Excelle’s Executive Cohort in 2021-2022, and she is presently a member of Excelle Collective.  Even in her first year at Excelle, Kim emerged as a natural leader and mentor, as women appreciated her honesty and clear sense of self.

We are thrilled to have Kim’s considerable wealth of experience and knowledge based on her work as a school and clinical psychologist, adjunct professor, school leader, teacher, coach, consultant, and parent. She has developed workshops and presentations that assist teachers and school leaders in understanding the impact of our identities on teaching and learning outcomes. To that end, she has published articles and written blogs focused on helping school communities to recognize the transformational power of cultivating self-awareness and emotional intelligence as an essential strategy for supporting the well-being of learning communities. 

Dr. Ridley’s leadership and work support institutional practices and policies that empower children and educators, particularly those from under-represented cultural groups, to feel empowerment and agency. Her work and practice are equally focused on raising awareness, cultivating empathy, and educating dominant groups to recognize and confront injustice and act as allies and partners in creating equitable and socially just educational communities.

Kim received her BA degree in Psychology from Spelman College and her MA and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Derner Institute of Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, Garden City, New York. Dr. Ridley’s work has included teaching, leading, and working in primary, secondary, and higher educational settings.