Inner Strength Foundation Announces New Associate Director

PHILADELPHIA - July 1, 2021 - PRLog -- Inner Strength Foundation announced today that Kelli Ray Gibson has joined the Inner Strength team as the new Associate Director. Kelli Ray spent her early career working in human development, focusing on technical skill assistance and strategic behavior interventions for diverse individuals. Desiring more educational advocacy work, she transitioned over to the non-profit sector where she most recently worked as a strategic content coordinator educating partners on how to think more critically and ethically about the communities they serve. Kelli Ray has worked with institutions both nationally and internationally and enjoys working with individuals to help them achieve their personal goals. Kelli Ray holds a B.A. from Central Connecticut State University and an M.A. from Yale University.

Kelli's main focus will be to oversee Inner Strength's partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to support students and schools that have experienced gun violence.

Since 2014, Inner Strength has served 15,000 students across 19 Philadelphia high schools. The program has received the coveted designation from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic Social Emotional Learning) as an approved social-emotional learning (SEL) program. ISE will continue to provide high quality educational tools including mindful awareness, focus, and compassion techniques to improve psychological, behavioral, and physical health and well-being, COVID-19 specific resources, a teen mindfulness mobile application, and educator training and professional development opportunities.

The organization was founded by Amy Edelstein, a Cornell University College Scholar with thirty-five years experience of contemplative practice, including a background in educational theory, transformational change models, trauma-sensitive education, Western and Eastern philosophy, and evolutionary perspectives, a contemporary field that connects individual development with our world's ancient history and with a deep sense of responsibility for our collective future. She is the recipient of a Philadelphia Social Innovator's Award, and is the author of five books including the IPPY award-winning, educational bestseller The Conscious Classroom.

The Inner Strength Mission

Inner Strength Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization whose mission is to uplift the minds, hearts, and actions of youth through mindful, contemplative awareness and developmental thinking to help them realize their higher potentials.

For all inquiries, please contact Alyson Showell LaPorta, Communications Manager at alyson@innerstrengtheducation.org or  215.278.9162. To learn more visit: www.innerstrengtheducation.org