Kari Kokka

Dr. Kari Kokka is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), specializing in social justice mathematics, teacher activism, and critical consciousness development. She holds an Ed.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education (2017), M.A. in Education (2001), and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (1999). Prior to UNLV, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh (2017–2022), where she received multiple awards including the Dean’s Distinguished Research Award (2022) and Iris Marion Marion Award for Social Justice (2019).

Dr. Kokka’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation ($996,000) and Spencer Foundation ($150,000 subaward). Her work emphasizes healing-centered pedagogy, political conocimiento in teaching, and collaborative teacher activism. She co-founded the Creating Balance in an Unjust World Conference (2007), a key platform for integrating social justice into STEM education.

Her teaching and activism began at Vanguard High School (2001–2011), a NYC Title I school, where she pioneered Complex Instruction and performance-based assessments. She is a co-host of the Critical Math Drop podcast and active in organizations like Radical STEMM Educators and the People’s Education Movement.

• Education: Stanford University (B.S.), Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ed.D.)
• Funded Projects: CAREER: Partnering with Teachers and Students to Engage in Mathematical Inquiry (NSF), Political Conocimiento in Teaching Mathematics (Spencer Foundation)
• Awards: Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2021), Iris Marion Marion Award (2019)