Senior Research Associate Kenwyn Derby joined WestEd in 2002 and is a member of the Research-Practice Partnerships team. She has worked in the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) for over a decade and currently provides direct supports to schools and districts in Utah and is a member of the California Center for School Climate. Derby’s work focuses on partnering with educators, policymakers, and community members to generate and apply evidence in order to improve student outcomes.
The projects Derby has led and collaborated on emphasize equitable access and outcomes through, for example, increased participation in early education and reduction of K–12 chronic absence and school dropout. Strategies encompass partnering on local research projects, providing technical assistance to districts on data-informed improvement work, and holding training events on critical topics. Other responsibilities have included assessing needs for evidence-based information and supporting and leading cross-agency collaborations.
Initially, Derby was a member of WestEd’s Program Services department, planning strategic meetings of agency leaders, leading projects at the direction of the Executive Team, and facilitating the Program Task Force, which included staff from across the agency collaborating to improve efficiency.
Derby has twice received an Annual Award for Exceptional Contribution to the WestEd Community—one as an individual, for strengthening team functioning and supporting the external reputation of the agency, and the other as part of the SchoolsMovingUp leadership team.
Derby received a BA in political science and Spanish from Amherst College, an MS in organizational psychology from San Francisco State University, and an MSW from the University of Utah.