About
Dr. Kayla C. Elliott is a writer, womanist, wonderer, and wanderer.
She is a Florida woman from the legacies of Trina, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Zora Neale Hurston.
Her lifelong love of reading and learning fuel her writing and career in higher education research and policy. She writes literary and speculative fiction, and a little poetry too. Kayla’s work as an author and as an advocate are deeply rooted in Black history, Afrofuturism, and liberation theology.
Kayla has published a number of academic and policy pieces, including books, technical reports, policy briefs, and journal articles. She has also written political commentary in blogs and op eds. Her first creative project is a fictionalized narrative of the research and stories collected for her award-winning dissertation on the influence of power and policy on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The novel centers on Alma, a living embodiment of the “HBCU Mystique” appointed to serve as a protector and connector for African Americans. The multigenerational story radiates the familiar pride and affection the HBCU community holds for our alma maters while illuminating little-known history and current dilemmas.
Professionally, Kayla is director of workforce policy at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank. Her team conducts policy research on Black workers’ access to good jobs and workforce development opportunities. Previously, Kayla was director of higher education policy at Education Trust, focusing on access, accountability, and affordability for students of color and students from low income backgrounds. Kayla earned a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Florida Atlantic University, where she held a number of research roles. Kayla holds a master’s from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and has worked with a range of nonprofit education and research organizations for more than 15 years, including Lumina Foundation, Southern Education Foundation, and Teach For America.
The daughter and granddaughter of career educators, Kayla continued their legacy by teaching undergraduate courses on leadership, diversity, and student success, and serving as a teaching assistant for graduate courses on qualitative research methods and philanthropy. She currently teaches graudate courses in Howard University’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
A proud HBCU advocate and third generation alumna, Kayla studied business administration at Fisk University, where her experience serving on the university’s board of trustees piqued her interest in higher education. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and sits on the boards of the Center to Advance CTE, the Howard University Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program, and UNITE.
Kayla is a loving daughter, a caring sister, a favorite aunt, and a doting godmother to two amazing toddler boys. She lives in the DC area where she enjoys eating, cooking, hiking, and exploring activities and festivals around the nation’s capitol.