Kristin is thrilled to be joining the COABE Board as the Region 1 Representative as of July 2020. An educator for over 20 years, Kristin Hempel has been a passionate adult education administrator and advocate in CT for the past 7 years. Previously, she was an elementary principal in NY and a teacher and high school administrator in RI. She graduated from Swarthmore College, received her MA in Educational Psychology from Vermont College, and completed her principal residency program at Northeastern University in Boston. Her mission has been to support and inspire students to be lifelong learners and engaged, inquisitive, and compassionate citizens. She found her “sweet spot” in the world of Adult Education, where helping individual students achieve their goals will change the future for their whole family and our community.

Currently she is the Associate Director for a regional adult education program known for innovation and for substantial workforce partnerships. An active executive board member of the Connecticut Association for Adult and Continuing Education (CAACE), Kristin has chaired the Professional Development Task Force for six years, and represented CAACE at COABE’s Capitol Hill Days and National Skills Coalition’s Skills Summit. Nationally, Kristin is a CT representative to the New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) Advisory Board, a member of NELRC’s XPrize Leadership Team now the mLearning Leadership Team, and has been a member of COABE’s Advocacy & Public Policy Committee.