Principal Investigator: Dr. Kimberly Reynolds Kelly

Dr. Kimberly R. Kelly is Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Development at CSULB. Dr. Kelly is a scholar, leader, and educator committed to advancing equity and inclusive excellence in higher education. Her research focuses on narrative and family informal learning, amplifying families’ everyday interactions that promote young children’s science learning. She has published widely in top journals, including Science Education, Computers in Human Behavior Reports, and Infant and Child Development. Dr. Kelly’s forthcoming edited volume, Narrative Story Completion Methodologies: Research Approaches Across the Lifespan (Oxford University Press), highlights innovative research techniques from top international scholars and across diverse contexts. 

As an action-oriented leader, Dr. Kelly is dedicated to transforming higher education. As Chair of Human Development, she has led successful initiatives to grow the program, support junior faculty, and promote equitable student success. She played a pivotal role in strengthening department and college internship programs, forging new community partnerships and ensuring students have meaningful, career-building experiential learning opportunities. Also, she has spearheaded efforts with the President’s Commission on Sustainability to secure strategic funding for key programs that support students, faculty, and staff who are committed to environmental justice and sustainability. 

Dr. Kelly is a dedicated teacher and mentor who prioritizes student engagement through research, professional development, and community outreach. She teaches courses on lifespan development, narrative, research methods, and career exploration. She has mentored over 50 undergraduate researchers, most of whom are first-generation students of color. Many of her mentees have received competitive research fellowships and university-wide awards, and they have gone on to prestigious graduate programs in fields such as psychology, social work, and education. Dr. Kelly’s strengths-based mentorship practices focus on empowering students, building confidence, and fostering a sense of belonging in academia and are published in the Journal of Diversity in High Education.