Robert Salley is the Deputy Director of the Region 13 Comprehensive Center, which serves New Mexico, Oklahoma, and the Bureau of Indian Education. He concurrently serves as a Senior Project Director where he leads and contributes to client engagements focused on expanding equitable education opportunities for students in the areas of civil rights, equity, and school reform.
Salley’s professional experience spans educational roles across K-12, higher education, non-profits, philanthropy, and government where he led change management initiatives focused on sustained systemic improvement through capacity development, policy formation, and stakeholder engagement.
He previously implemented federal policy while at the U.S. Department of Education, was a teacher for over 5 years, served as a school board member, and has supported the design of Tribal education systems. Salley has also worked on Capitol Hill developing legislation to support the vitality of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
He has an MA in organizational psychology from Columbia University, and MA in teaching from The Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.