ABOUT

Dr. Kelisha B. Graves is an executive leader, strategist, and scholar who drives innovation at the nexus of education, technology, and social impact. She is the Chief Research, Education, and Programs Officer at The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change ("The King Center"), where she leads a diverse portfolio of programs and initiatives in research, education, leadership development, and cultural heritage preservation. In this role, she has secured multimillion-dollar philanthropic investments and built cross-sector partnerships with Fortune 500 corporations, universities, government agencies, NGOs, and nonprofits. Her collaborations span technology, media, sports, higher education, philanthropy, and film. She has spearheaded several of the Center’s milestone initiatives, including the creation of a global eLearning platform in nonviolence, the launch of an interactive 3D museum experience, the executive production of a forthcoming multi-episode documentary series, and the design of leadership development programs for youth and young adults. Beyond the programmatic impact, these achievements are adding to the ways cultural heritage institutions are approaching access, digital preservation, and public engagement. She's worked with partners such as Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, the NFL, Atlanta Dream (WNBA), EY, EVERFI, Macy's and Hulu, fueling initiatives in education, youth development, digital learning, and digital transformation. Collectively, programs and initiatives under her leadership have reached tens of millions of people around the world.

​

Guided by a passion for cross-cultural collaboration, development in the global south, and advancing educational justice, she also extends her leadership globally by cultivating and supporting emerging leaders from around the world. Through hosting and mentoring professionals from countries such as Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Uzbekistan, and Bhutan, and by implementing youth programs in nations such as Liberia, she has amplified The King Center’s presence in these regions while enhancing the capacity of young adult leaders to drive meaningful change in their local communities. By investing in young professionals, she contributes to the broader work of equipping individuals whose talents and innovations fuel stronger institutions, healthier societies, and long-term economic growth. In addition to this global work, her international profile also includes past service as an Ambassador with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Education Program, extending her commitment to global dialogue and the advancement of international education.

​

In addition to her executive and global leadership, Dr. Graves is an award-winning scholar and professor. She holds a doctorate in education with a concentration in higher education and serves as an Assistant Professor of Education at Virginia State University, where she teaches doctoral courses in History and Philosophy of Education, School Policy and Law, Teaching in Higher Education, and research methods. As a dissertation advisor, she has chaired ten doctoral dissertations and served on more than fifteen committees, mentoring the next generation of educational leaders. She also serves as an adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Fayetteville State University, where she teaches an undergraduate course in religion. 

​

Her academic work bridges multiple disciplines, including educational leadership, African American philosophy and intellectual history, religious studies, and educational technology. Her research interests specifically spans three domains: History and Philosophy of Education, where she examines how African American philosophical and intellectual traditions shape education and justice movements; Educational Leadership and Transformation, where she explores higher education teaching and learning, educational technology, and innovative research methods—always asking how unconventional learning journeys can yield deeply valuable outcomes for students and communities; and, Comparative and International Higher Education, where she studies how universities worldwide are structured, governed, and connected, with a focus on Africa’s higher education landscape, the role of foreign policy in shaping educational opportunities, and strategies for advancing sustainable, cross-border collaboration.

​

She is the author of Nannie Helen Burroughs: A Documentary Portrait of an Early Civil Rights Pioneer, 1900–1959 (University of Notre Dame Press, 2019). As the first book to compile Burroughs’s writings with interpretive commentary, its recognized for its significant contribution to intellectual history, American civil rights history, and women's history. Dr. Graves is also a co-founder of the Nannie Helen Burroughs Preservation Association, which works to safeguard Burroughs’ historic contributions, advocate for the preservation of related landmarks and archives, and promote public awareness of her enduring impact on American history. Her forthcoming book, Africa and America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Routledge, under contract), examines the evolving relationships between HBCUs and the African continent. The book highlights higher education as both a connector between nations and a catalyst for sustainability and justice. ​Notably, her research and writing have earned recognition both nationally and internationally. She's a past recipient of Glen Earthman Award for Outstanding Dissertation from the International Society of Educational Planning (ISEP) and a competitive research grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), a prestigious organization which recognizes excellence in research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.

​

Beyond her academic and executive roles, Dr. Graves also serves as Honorary Chair and Senior Advisor for Children’s Fate, an international NGO committed to improving the lives of underprivileged children and youth in Cameroon, Central Africa. Through initiatives in quality education, poverty reduction, health, income generation, peace-building, scholarships, and community outreach, Children’s Fate empowers vulnerable populations—including single mothers and children affected by crisis—to achieve self-reliance, and sustainable futures. 

​

She's appeared in outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and she has delivered keynotes and workshops across the United States and internationally in nations such Greece, Switzerland, and India. She speaks on a wide range of topics, including educational justice and leadership, teaching and learning, the role of AI in education, cultural heritage engagement and access, and the role of higher education in global sustainability and collaboration.

​

Dr. Graves maintains a wide-angle lens on both the present and the future, and her work is consistently guided by a commitment to educational justice and to creating pathways that open doors, expand opportunity, and transform communities.