Brandi Biscoe Kenner, PhD

Dr. Brandi Biscoe Kenner is a cognitive developmental psychologist, learning scientist, data scientist, and nonprofit organizational development guru who has committed her life’s work, for over 25 years, to opening access and obliterating opportunity gaps for children, families, and communities. Her work spans start-up efforts, school design, launch and operations, curriculum design and development, higher education teacher preparation, classroom teaching, and building bridges between research and developmental practice, policy, and innovative programming, products, and technologies.

Before joining Bezos Academy, Brandi was Founder and CEO of Choice-filled Lives Network (CLN), a social change firm that partners with both national and international nonprofits, school systems, philanthropies, and social impact organizations to design and evaluate transformative organizations and learning initiatives. Before founding CLN, Brandi founded two Constructivist, dual-language immersion schools and held senior leadership roles at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Atlanta Speech School and its Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, and Teach For America.

Brandi has deep expertise in early language and literacy development, developmentally appropriate assessment design, and whole-child and self-directed learning models. In 2022, the International Society for Self-Directed Learning honored her for significant lifelong contributions to the field, awarding Brandi with the Malcolm Knowles Memorial Self-Directed Learning Award.

Brandi earned a PhD in Cognitive Developmental Psychology from Emory University, an MEd in Special Education-Behavior & Learning Disabilities from Georgia State University, and a BGS in Elementary Education and Sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Outside of work, she serves on several nonprofit and social impact boards and enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, salsa dancing, and spending time with her husband and their blended “Brandi Bunch” family of six children. One of her favorite children’s books is The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, a story that reminds us that high expectations, encouragement, and belief can unlock extraordinary potential in every child.