Kelly Lester
University of Southern Mississippi
Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
Kelly Ferris Lester, Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, received her BFA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Memphis, her MFA in Choreography and Performance from The College at Brockport (SUNY), and her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lester is ACUE Credential Educator and earned both an Advanced Certificate in Effective College Instruction and a micro-credential in Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning through ACUE. In the dance field, Lester is a Certified Evans Teacher, a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist, and Co-director for Eastwest Somatics Institute for Yoga, Dance and Movement Studies. Lester serves as President of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) (2021-2022), and focused her presidency on a facilitating a Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (JDEI) audit of the organization and building a strategic plan for 2023-2027 in relationship to the JDEI audit report from Maryland Nonprofits.