Dr. Kristine Callis-Duehl is a scientist-educator committed to expanding access to transformative STEM education and fostering equitable, innovative learning ecosystems. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Education at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, where she leads interdisciplinary teams advancing science education, outreach, and workforce development through public-private partnerships across Missouri and the greater Midwest.

Dr. Callis-Duehl holds a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Florida, where she began her career integrating plant science with K–12 education. Her early work was shaped by time spent in Southeast Asia, where she saw firsthand how education could empower communities to confront environmental and economic challenges. This conviction has guided her efforts to broaden participation in science through place-based learning, community engagement, and culturally responsive programming.

Over the past decade, Dr. Callis-Duehl has secured and led over $15 million in NSF and USDA-funded projects that blend education research with plant science innovation. She helped establish the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN), a nationally recognized model for community-driven STEM+Ag® education and youth development in East St. Louis. Her work is centered on cultivating students’ science identity, increasing pathways into AgTech and bioscience careers, and ensuring all students—regardless of zip code—have access to opportunity.

A dedicated mother of three, Dr. Callis-Duehl brings both personal and professional insight to her role on the Collegiate School Board. She believes deeply in Collegiate’s mission and its potential to prepare students not only for academic success, but for leadership, purpose, and impact in an ever-changing world.

She also serves on multiple regional and national boards focused on STEM equity, innovation, and education policy. Her leadership style is collaborative, data-informed, and rooted in the belief that when students are supported to bring their full selves into learning, they thrive—and so do their communities.