Donna L. Kelley, Ed.D.

Northwood Elementary School
Okaloosa County School District
Crestview, Florida
donna.kelley@okaloosaschools.com

In her 26 years of leadership, Donna Kelley, Ed.D., has spearheaded remarkable transformations in teaching and learning at multiple schools. At Owens Cross Roads School (OCR), where she served for 13 years, Kelley’s stewardship brought student proficiency from the lower 40th percentiles to the 80th percentiles, outperforming non-Title I schools in the district and earning regional and state recognition as a high-performing school. Kelley credits this achievement to the school’s dedication to collaboration, research-based practices, and adopting enriching innovations in student learning. Under her leadership, OCR established three outdoor classrooms, a physical education lab, and an in-house nature museum with sixth grade students serving as docents. She also launched a daycare program and a financial literacy partnership with a local bank, opening savings accounts for every student. At Northwood Elementary, where she has served for the past 12 years, Kelley has played a critical role in shaping the school’s holistic instructional approach for exceptional education students. These efforts have been particularly impactful for students with autism and other diverse sensory needs, who now have access to two self-regulation spaces and other targeted supports in an understanding and accommodating environment. Kelley holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Elementary Education from Jacksonville State University, where she also earned a Class A Educational Administrator Certification.