Kelli A. Perkins, Ed.D., Shrm-Cp Email & Phone Number

Kelli A. Perkins, Ed.D., Shrm-Cp is a Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at City of Burlington, Vermont. Colleagues describe them as "I have been in the post-grad workforce for eleven years and in that time, I’ve had seven supervisors. Kelli was my first supervisor and is to this day the most influential. A consummate professional who knows how to seamlessly marry practice and reality with an incredibly acute sense of the whole person, Kelli has taught me so much more than just how to do a job. As someone who was new to the professional workforce, of course I hadn’t yet come to experience and learn everything I would over the course of the next eleven years. Kelli, whose own experiences, and education shaped how she approached the supervisor/supervisee dynamic, knows how to meet people where they are. Not only does she show you how to do a job, but Kelli gets you to see why the work you are doing is important, and simultaneously makes it fun! One of the things that stands out to me most is Kelli’s deep understanding of human behavior. I saw firsthand how as a practitioner in the higher education space, this was critical. In her role as Assistant Director of High School Life at UNC School of the Arts, not only was Kelli responsible for supervising adults like me, but she was also responsible for educating students who were at a pivotal point in their development. To be able to supervise, educate, develop, hold people accountable, AND continue to maintain that relationship is not an easy task, but to witness how gracefully Kelli managed to do this was refreshing and encouraging. During my tenure as Coordinator at UNCSA, Kelli and I had many difficult conversations but each of them met with compassion and care. Over the next decade, I would realize just how important it was to have a supervisor from which you could learn, rely on, and trust. Kelli became a mentor, even after I left UNCSA. I have had the pleasure and privilege of staying friends with Kelli over the years, and while Kelli has worked at different institutions with different roles in very different environments, the thing that remains unchanged is that Kelli brings her authentic self to each of them. Her authentic self is serious about student affairs and student development. Her authentic self is fervent about creating environments in which people thrive, feel seen, feel heard, feel like they belong, and feel like they truly matter. Her authentic self is adamant about challenging antiquated norms. Her authentic self is unabashed about being an agent of change. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to learn from Kelli (and continue to learn). Kelli embodies what a supervisor/mentor should be. Anyone would consider themselves lucky to have the same opportunity to learn from someone who so keenly understands the work and the worker." and "Kelli Perkins is one of the best supervisors I’ve had during my professional career. As a supervisor, I find myself emulating many of the ways Kelli supervised her team at UVM. She makes learning her organization, her role, its key players, and the development of supervisory relationships a priority. Kelli was intentional in helping her team build on their professional strengths, while also challenging us in our areas of growth. Kelli has many colorful sayings I believe serve as a foundation for her leadership approach. Two of these sayings, to me, truly summarize the essence of what it is like to work for Kelli: - "Accountability is an act of love...": Kelli approaches the professional development, including accountability, with an ethic of care and support. She is a leader who sought to understand our perspectives and relevant contexts, helped us learn from the accountability process, and helped us to correct our mistakes. She was also firm in her expectations of us and set a high standard for our team. She is clear in what she expects and provides the necessary supports to help her team meet those expectations. - "We have not, cause we ask not"/"Closed mouths don't get fed": Kelli inspires creativity and courage in ways that I have not seen in many leaders. She encouraged us to take ownership of our areas of responsibility. She also created a culture where we felt comfortable providing her with constructive feedback or share when we disagreed with something, because we knew she would have the conversation with us in a way that was transparent and thoughtful. She also encouraged us to not let the fear of a “no” prevent us from asking for what we need or wanted professionally. It was clear that Kelli understood that her supervisees had their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas and she sought to include our voices in higher decision making processes. While we may not have always received a “yes” to our requests, her willingness to hear and truly consider feedback was noticeable. I have also witnessed Kelli’s ability to be strategic in how she managed change within her organization. Kelli is able to quickly understand the landscape of a new organization, its underlying culture and key players, then begin identifying areas requiring immediate change and areas needing more strategic development over an extended period. She was proactive in how she developed collegial relationships in and outside of her team, was able to help others see the bigger picture and was methodical in how she approached organizational politics without losing the essence of who she is as a person. Her work spoke positively for itself, and she knows how to affect change in any organization for the better. I would not be where I am now, if it were not for Kelli Perkins. She is truly a phenomenal leader, thought partner, change manager, and professional. She is a true gem of a person and I believe any leader would be lucky to have her be a part their organization."