Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Robert Kelty is the Director of Education Policy and Leadership at The Aspen Institute. Before joining Aspen, Robert was the Head of Country, United States & Canada, for the International Baccalaureate (IB). He began his career with Teach For America in 2001 in Crownpoint, New Mexico, located in the heart of the Navajo Nation. Since then, Dr. Kelty has held several significant roles, including head of school, superintendent, member of the national team for Teach For America, and an elected official as the Coconino County Superintendent of Schools. In his former role as Head of Country for IB North America, Robert was responsible for overseeing government relations at the federal and state levels, fostering national and international partnerships, media relationships, and driving growth of the IB across both countries.
Dr. Kelty holds a doctorate from Northern Arizona University (NAU), which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2008. He is a former Arizona Teacher of the Year, has been published in the Journal of American Indian Education, and was a lead author of On Indian Ground: The Southwest (2021). Additionally, he was a signatory on an Amicus Brief to the Ninth Circuit concerning federal obligations to Native American education. A frequent public speaker, Robert recently delivered a keynote address at the National School Board Association’s Advocacy and Equity Summit in Washington, D.C., where he discussed a renewed vision for public schools in an era of accelerated choice. He also accepted the Carolyn Warner Legacy Award from the Arizona Education Foundation in October 2025. From his early days on the Navajo Nation to his current work, Robert’s career has been dedicated to the idea that education can be transformative in life outcomes and that every child deserves access to an excellent and meaningful education rooted in student agency.
