Empowering equity-driven leaders to become invaluable change agents so each person thrives.
About
Ph.D., CTACC
Founder and CEO
Laura’s work is driven by a passion for educational equity and social justice. Though her background is varied as a former actor, teacher, teacher educator, consultant and school administrator, in each role, empowering historically marginalized voices as well as challenging and changing longstanding cycles of oppression remain constant.
As a certified leadership coach, it is her mission to empower leaders to create equitable and inspiring diverse environments where each person thrives. Her clients include leaders in independent and public schools, non-profit organizations and other institutions such as the U.S. Naval Academy.
As an Equity, Justice and Belonging Consultant, Dr. Yee has worked with a range of organizations, including District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), XQ America, Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE), Association of American Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) and Independent School Management (ISM). With each client, Laura brings a critical perspective to identify systems and behaviors that create more equitable (and thereby more effective) work environments as well as barriers that stand in the way of tapping institutions' full, diverse talent potential.
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Currently, Laura serves as Founder and C.E.O. of her equity-driven leadership coaching and educational consulting company, Radical Becoming, LLC. Serving in her most recent role as Assistant Head of School for Curriculum and Instruction at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., she worked with talented and dedicated equity-centered colleagues to create a culture of belonging and academic excellence, PK-12. In addition to leading mission-driven all-school program alignment and evolution, she successfully led the school through a five-year accreditation process through the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as well as designed a PK-12 Vision of Teaching Excellence—a research-based, dynamic, aspirational description of mission-aligned, equity-centered teaching and learning—in collaboration with teachers and administrators from across all school levels. As an equity-driven, research-focused leader, this Vision not only incorporates high leverage practices and teaching domains proven to positively impact student achievement, but also intentionally integrates culturally responsive pedagogy throughout. Paired with the school's first PK-12 Instructional Coaching Program for teachers, Dr. Yee set in motion her vision to create transparent, school-specific, research-based criteria for teaching and learning effectiveness as well as an accompanying research-proven system for effectively increasing student achievement via ongoing teacher support grounded in authentic relationships, data analysis, embracing the dignity of each individual and asset-based engagement with teachers.
Dr. Yee's teaching experience includes serving elementary and high school students in both public and private schools in the Washington D.C. metro area and southwestern Virginia. She has also taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Maryland where she earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership with particular focus in equity-centered teacher education and professional development. She earned her M.Ed. in Special Education from The University of Virginia, an M.A.T. in Elementary Education at The American University and a B.A. at Middlebury College in Vermont. Her research examines the role of diversity and equity in teachers’ visions and practice, enactment of culturally relevant thinking and practices, and the development of culturally responsive, critically conscious, equity-centered teachers and leaders.
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Outside work, Dr. Yee’s passions include gardening, hiking, camping, woodworking, cooking, and spending time with her family, including three dynamic goofball children, their two adopted "pitbulls" and 10 egg-laying hens.
My Story
Transformational Coaching
As a school administrator of color, I was acutely conscious of how my multiple identities influenced my work. Age, race, gender, personal culture – all of these and more play critical roles in how others perceive me, interpret my behavior, hear what I say and ultimately, judge the quality of my work and the value I bring to each space I inhabit.
The privilege to serve as a school leader was one I took seriously as a representative of the school and advocate for all my students, families and faculty. As an Asian-American cisgender female, modeling excellence was not an option. As the "only" in my school, the pressure to demonstrate exceptionality was real. I know this experience isn’t specific to me alone.
After three years of working with a coach, I found my voice, developed clarity on my purpose, discovered and honed skills to access and lean into my values and speak up, and possess confidence in how I navigate predominantly White spaces while preserving what’s core to my multiple identities. As a result, I possess greater clarity in my decision-making, efficiency in my work, and a sense of the worth of my unique contributions only I could make to ensure all students’ success.
This sense of personal and professional self-worth, empowerment, clarity and confidence in how I "showed up" for myself and everyone at my school is what I wish for all my BIPOC brothers and sisters in student-serving organizations. If you’re reading this and identify as such, you’ve no doubt experienced isolation, frustration, micro-aggressions and moments of triumph that only BIPOC can understand. The many individuals who poured into me, invested in my journey, believed in my capacities and provided me with opportunities to hone and showcase my skills continue to be invaluable to me.
I want to support YOU in your journey. I want you to feel the affirmation and support that I’ve experienced. Together, we can create radical change in our communities to provide more equitable and inclusive environments for all our students and empower our BIPOC students through developing their own sense of self-awareness, self-confidence and strength. Our presence in their lives is critical to developing future citizens and leaders who can positively mobilize multiple communities for social justice.
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When we thrive, everyone thrives.
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I would be privileged to partner with you on your journey.