“Some of the best parts of who I am are because of New Orleans Black educators,” says Drin Kelly. Starting with her first teacher, Oretha Castle Haley, Drin was held to high expectations by Black educators who lovingly taught her to be smart and committed to community—so why, historically, has there been a lack of investment in them? As Executive Director of BE NOLA, Drin, along with her co-leader, Stevona Elem-Rogers, developed a solid pedagogy for supporting New Orleans Black educators. A graduate of Harvard and NYU, Drin has worked in education for 20 years. She is a member of the McDonogh #35 Alumni Association and the Education Leaders of Color Network and is an alumnus of the Pahara NextGen Fellowship and Loyola Institute of Politics.