Hayley Haywood, Ed.D.

Dr. Hayley Haywood is an award-winning equity-solutionist and identity-conscious coach. She spent fifteen years leading across diverse functional areas including orientation, leadership initiatives, dean of students, and heading a Multicultural and First-Generation Student Support office. She most recently served as Assistant Provost for Organizational Learning at Clark University, where she supported faculty in addressing structural & pedagogical barriers to enhance equitable student outcomes. Dr. Hayley has led & consulted with diverse institutions from Northeastern University to NASA. Through this work, she has had the privilege of being immersed in student counternarratives that demonstrate the need for systems approaches to career equity. Upon redesigning Clark University’s institution’s signature student success program, Dr. Hayley supported the 100% retention of two consecutive cohorts of first-generation college students & students of color.

Such experiences informed Dr. Hayley’s research as part of her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change & Leadership at University of Southern California, titled: Amplifying the Counter-Narratives of First-Generation College Graduates of Color As They Navigate the Journey Toward Decent Work. Building upon such learnings, Dr. Hayley founded Elevating Access—an capacity-building consulting firm supporting educators and employers in building equitable pathways to soulfilling work for students, faculty & staff. She is not technically first-gen, but identifies as a proud McNair scholar, & credits access programs as a key contributor to her identity as a leader & an academic.