Kayle Walls

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About Kayle

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, to scholarship programs for LGBTQ youth, crisis counseling for young women experiencing domestic violence, municipal block grants for homeless teens, and support groups for youth and families navigating mental health.

At Eye to Eye, Kayle oversees program strategy and continuous improvement of operational systems and infrastructure in support of growth and innovation, while incorporating business principles and best practices to ensure the greatest impact with limited resources. Kayle works collaboratively across departments and with the Board of Directors and various stakeholders to lead both the high-level strategic planning processes and operational planning and budgeting activities needed to implement.

Prior to joining Eye to Eye, Kayle served as the Operations Director & Interim Executive Director for College Access Now, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization, where he 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. With support from near-peer mentors and full-time AmeriCorps Coaches, students from low-income families in College Access Now’s programs enroll, persist and graduate at rates even greater than their most advantaged peers.

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.

Why this Work is Important To Me

I was born into a family of incredibly bright, thoughtful, and creative learners who struggled in the traditional K-12 setting. My brother was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school but was never taught self-advocacy skills and lacked the support that could lead to developing strategies to succeed in the classroom. Instead, he faced 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 pre-requisites 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 would have been had he had the tools and encouragement that Eye to Eye provides when he was younger.

I am proud to serve in an organization that actively works to ensure that hundreds of other students like him are able to reach their full potential.

Favorite Part of My Job

It’s powerful to see the impact of our programs each day for students within the education system, and I’m equally excited to live our mission here at Eye to Eye by fostering a culture where different learners thrive in the workplace as well.