Kemen Holley, Ed.D., MA

As a K-12 educator, it is Kemen’s belief that the implementation of transformative social and emotional learning (SEL) efforts can increase equity and social justice for all students in the schooling process. Working in previous Connecticut school districts as a Spanish teacher, and in the current role of K-12 curriculum specialist of world languages and English to speakers of other languages at Brookfield Public Schools, framed Kemen’s understanding that what sustains SEL efforts in schools are the meaningful, genuine relationships that support each student. In 2003, Kemen was a recipient of UConn's Day of Pride Scholarship, and UConn's Josephina Romo-Arregui Scholarship in 2008. In 2007, Kemen completed an honors thesis: Hemingway: A Study in Gender and Sexuality and earned a BA in English with a minor in history and human rights, and in 2010, earned an MA in Spanish. Kemen co-reviewed the CSDE's Equitable Assessment Practices for English Learners in Connecticut, A Handbook for Educators. Research interests include trauma-informed SEL, educator bias and gender and sexuality studies.

Dissertation

Transforming Educators’ Social Emotional Learning (SEL): A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring the Impact of a Trauma-informed SEL Intervention to Mitigate Educator Implicit Bias

Education

• Bachelor of Arts in English, University of Connecticut 
• Master of Arts in Spanish, University of Connecticut