Ari Kinney, Director, EC-12 Policy, The Commit Partnership

Ari was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio and comes from a family of educators. Her parents emphasized the importance of a high-quality education and went to great lengths to ensure that she received one. Ari attended Hampton University and finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio and received a Bachelors in Communication with a focus in Public Relations.

Ari began her post-collegiate career in education. She is a former Kindergarten teacher and instructional coach who understands the importance of strong reading and math foundations to ensure academic success. She also helped develop and refine a math curriculum for kindergarten-2nd grade during her teaching tenure for her school district.

Prior to joining Commit, Ari engaged in education reform as the North Texas Regional Director of Advocacy for the Texas Public Charter Schools Association. She utilized grassroots strategies to help foster strong relationships at the legislature and build a positive political climate for public charter schools. Ari was always aware of deeper systemic issues in education and decided to deepen her policy experience and advocate for all public education systems and scholars in Texas.

Ari believes that passion and understanding the legislative process creates systemic change. She believes that every child deserves the transformative power of education and that knowledge shapes destinies and empowers individuals to defy odds.

Page last updated 9:25 AM, August 28, 2025