Meet the Founder
Welcome! I am Dr. Kristen Goodlett, Founder and Lead Consultant of EmpowerED Together. As a licensed veteran educator with over 18 years of experience in public, charter, independent, and international schools, I bring a unique and nuanced perspective to the K-12 education field. My strengths are in collaborative organizational leadership, equity and justice, curriculum development and differentiation, and promoting transformative school and workplace cultures. My passion for designing a support space exclusively for Black women in primary and secondary education across the globe led me to create EmpowerED Together.
This is a virtual community space for Black women educators in primary and secondary (K-12) schools to foster professional relationships, share perspectives and commonalities, provide peer support, and engage in collective problem-solving.
I earned an Ed.D. in Transformative School Leadership from Northeastern University, where my research explored the intersection of race and gender in the experiences of Black women leaders in independent schools and the role of affinity groups in building engaging affinity groups for Black women in education. I also hold an M.S.Ed. in Teaching Students with Disabilities from St. John’s University, an M.A. in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York, and a B.A. in Theater Arts from Boston College.
Building a Global Community for Black Women in Education
The following is an excerpt from an original group poem written by participants in my doctoral study. The poem is dedicated to every Black woman and girl who has navigated spaces that were never designed with them in mind. You are worthy, you belong, and what is meant for you is already yours.
Dear Black Women
I salute your courage
I commend your confidence
And I am in awe of your beauty
There is power in your variety
And strength in your voice
You deserve to be well; physically, mentally, and spiritually
Do what you need to stay well
Give yourself grace, especially when others will not
You are not responsible for other people's actions
Superwoman is a myth.
You do not have to be all things to all people.
Uplift other Black women, in public and in private.
Rest. Recover. Repeat.
Àkànké to know her is to love her.
Be the change that you want to be.
Believe always.