Dr. Kelly B. Forbes (Señor Kellito - he/him/his) - Dr. Forbes has been involved in education since 2004 and has occupied many roles such as: Newcomer Teacher, District ELL Facilitator, Title III Director, Instructional Coach, Assistant Principal, Dual Language Head Principal, Director of ESSER, Director of Dual Language Education, and now as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. More than being an educator, Kelly has been a member of the arts since he was three years old. It was at the young age of nine that he was dancing behind his grandmother’s dance group from Tulsa, OK, The Happy Hoofers. His love for the arts and education have offered Kelly the opportunities to travel to local venues while acting, dancing, singing, and educating all the way from Branson, MO, Cairo, Egypt, the Caribbean on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as a singer and dancer, Central and South America, and even Bangkok, Thailand. In Oklahoma, Kelly has continued to enjoy dancing with his Salsa partner, Marti Rickman, originally from Palmira Valle, Colombia. Kelly was also named Mr. Gay Oklahoma USofA in 2011.
Forbes recently conducted research examining the role that cultural proficiency plays in providing an equitable education for all students, believes that it is through our diversity that we find unity. Intercultural connectivity uplifts us all. His philosophy is simple: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And, remember to make today the very best day for this day begins the rest of our lives!
Kelly is a fur-dad to three amazing dogs and resides in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK.
Learn more about Dr. Forbes below, and learn where he has presented and where you can catch him in the future.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
AFFILIATIONS, HONORS, PERSONAL INTERESTS:
Palomar Board of Directors, member, October 2021 - present
Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society - SNU Chapter - present
Phi Kappa Phi Member - OCU Chapter - present
Past President for the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education - 2023
President for the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education - 2022
OSDE Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Committee member - 2019-2020
Student Experiences and Equity Committee - OKCPS - 2019-2020
Nuts and Bolts Symposium presenter for June 2019 & 2021 national conference
Teaching for Understanding Harvard online course (audited) - 2017
2016 Global Citizen in Public Education from World Experiences Foundation (Emeritus)
President of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education - 2015-2016
Editor for ELL Modules from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)
Presenter - University Council of Educational Administration in Washington, D.C. - 2014
Teacher of Spanish for Educators (Oklahoma City Public Schools) - 2014
Community Action Board of Directors - 2014
Past member of OkNAME (Oklahoma National Association of Multicultural Education)
Chair of Lifelong Learning for OKTESOL - 2013
Member of the International Golden Key Honor Society
KSBI Channel 52 Oklahoma Hero Award - 2011
Won the first UCO Rising Star Award from the Multicultural Institute - 2011
Nominated by Ms. Lisa Johnson for the Multicultural Teacher of the Year - 2010
Acting and dancing (on Royal Caribbean Cruises), anything “Latinx”, exercise, animals, dogs, children, reading, movies, multicultural activities and events, and realizing that we all smile in the same language.
CERTIFICATIONS:
Superintendent PK-12
Spanish PK-12
English as a Second Language PK-12
Principal Common Core
Elementary Principal Specialty (PK-8)
Secondary Principal Specialty (5-12)
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Created ELL professional development modules for the PD on Your Plan with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE).
Presented at local, state, and national conferences, including but not limited to:
National Association for Bilingual Education - New Orleans, LA (2024)
Colorado Association for Bilingual Education - Denver, CO (2024)
La Cosecha Dual Language Conference - Albuquerque, NM (2023)
Region 7 Educational Conference - Kilgore, TX (2023)
Region 10 Educational Conference - Texas (2023)
National Association for Bilingual Education - Houston, TX (2021)
UCEA, Washington, D.C. (2014)
Nuts and Bolts National Conference: Destin, FL (2010), Stillwater, OK (2019, 2021)
Multicultural Education Institute with University of Central Oklahoma: multiple years
Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association, Tulsa, OK (2010)
Served as a speaker on the following webinars, including but not limited to:
(2) Lexia Webinars (2023)
(2) EduSkills Webinars (2023)
Leveraged the use of therapy dogs with a New Leash on Life, Inc (2008) and Full Circle (2020) in order to build students’ second language acquisition, reading fluency, comprehension, and social-emotional needs.
2009: Featured in a National Geography article for an effectiveness study with my middle school newcomer students.
Student test scores were above average for the studied demographic and limited English proficiency status.
EXPERIENCE:
Newcomer Teacher
Assistant Principal
Dual Language Immersion Principal
Director of Bilingual Acquisition and Cultural Knowledge
Director of English Language Learners
Director of Title III
Director of ESSER Innovation and Implementation
Director of Dual Language Immersion
Adjunct College Professor - UCO - 2024
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