As Chief Financial & Operating Officer at The Neurodiversity Alliance, Kayle works collaboratively across departments and with the Board of Directors to lead the high-level strategic planning and budgeting processes, as well as the design and continuous improvement of internal operating infrastructure to ensure the organization has the staffing, systems and other resources needed to successfully achieve its ambitious goals. His focus is on incorporating business principles and best practices to ensure the organization has the greatest impact and reach with limited resources.
For more than a decade, Kayle has followed his passion for helping young people realize their full potential through various roles within organizations that positively impact children and families – from college access services for low-income students of color and scholarship programs for LGBTQ youth, to crisis counseling for young women experiencing domestic violence and support groups for youth and families navigating mental health.
Prior to joining Eye to Eye, Kayle served as the Assistant Director for Enrollment & Student Services at the third largest university in Washington State, as well as the Operations Director & Interim Executive Director for College Possible Washington (formerly College Access Now), a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that supports students from low-income families to enroll, persist and graduate at rates even greater than their more advantaged peers. Kayle helped lead the organization through a period of rapid growth – from a team of 30 serving 387 students in 2013, to a team of 50 serving more than 2,000 students by 2016.
Kayle was born and raised in the pacific northwest and has earned both a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), as well as a Certificate in Nonprofit Innovation from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. He now lives outside of New York City in Stamford, CT along with his partner and two dogs.
I am the youngest of three boys, all of whom learn differently and stopped out of high school at one point or another after struggling to have our needs met within the traditional K-12 education system. I was identified early on as what is now considered “twice exceptional” – meaning that while I was identified early on for my gifts in math and science and enrolled in the district’s “Talented & Gifted” program, I quickly fell behind and was moved back to general education classes due to significant challenges with reading and comprehension.
I was on track to stop out of traditional high school before graduating, having failed nearly all of my classes my Sophomore year. It was a school counselor who helped me get back on track and enrolled in a dual-credit program through the local community college where I was able to tailor my courses and environment to better meet my needs and was able to make up credits, graduate on-time, and develop the skills needed to be successful in college and beyond.
My brother on the other hand was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school but lacked the support that could lead to developing strategies to succeed in the classroom. Instead, he faced constant disciplinary action and was made to feel like a failure for not thriving in a structured, rigid environment – ultimately leading to an early exit from high school.
After a decade removed from the education system, my brother made the courageous step to go back to school and pursue his passion for helping others. It was in community college that he was able to choose his schedule and instructors for the first time, pick a seat in the front row where he wouldn’t be distracted, and bring a laptop to class each day to support his unique style of learning and notetaking. He earned a perfect 4.0 that first year as he completed his prerequisites and managed to keep that 4.0 for the remainder of his studies, eventually graduating top of his class from one of the most selective nursing programs in the region.
I can only imagine how different his educational journey (and mine) would have been had he had the tools and encouragement that The Neurodiversity Alliance provides when we were younger. I am proud to serve in an organization that actively works to ensure that hundreds of other students like my brothers and I are able to reach their full potential.