Ariel Keller

Ariel joined ESG in 2026 to support the K–12 practice area. Her path to ESG has been shaped by a deep commitment to expanding educational opportunity and a career spent learning alongside students, practitioners, and policymakers.
After earning a B.A. in Sociology from Grinnell College, Ariel began her career as an English as a Second Language teacher in Spain. She then joined Teach For America in the Twin Cities, where she taught middle school literacy for six years. In the classroom, she developed a strong commitment to educational equity and a lasting interest in strengthening the systems that influence student outcomes.

Following her time in the classroom, Ariel transitioned into policy work at EdTrust–Tennessee in Nashville, serving on the Government Relations team. As a Policy Fellow, she supported state education policy analysis, contributed to advocacy and legislative strategy, and worked to expand educational opportunities for students and families across Tennessee. This experience helped her connect classroom realities with systems-level policy work and deepened her interest in state-level policy design and implementation.

Ariel holds a Master of Public Policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Saint Mary’s University.

Why are you in this work?

I believe that education is one of the most powerful levers for systemic change—and that the systems shaping opportunity must be questioned and reimagined. If education is truly the “great equalizer,” then we need to ensure that opportunity is not dependent on geography, background, or circumstance, but is intentionally designed and consistently delivered for every student.

Why ESG?

I want to work in a space that sits at the intersection of ideation and implementation. ESG’s approach to bridging research, policy, and practice reflects the kind of work I am most motivated to do: helping translate ideas into actionable strategies that improve outcomes for students.