Serving as the CEO for Hezel Associates, Kirk Knestis leads the firm’s strategic direction, research initiatives, and engagements. Prior to his promotion to CEO, Dr. Knestis served as Hezel Associates’ Director of Research and Evaluation. His deep research experience is augmented by diverse career experiences, including as a small business owner and employer, classroom teacher, and university program administrator. This firsthand experience, plus research into teacher recruitment and retention policies in university and U.S. Regional Education Laboratory settings, provides Dr. Knestis with helpful insights into assessing a broad spectrum of education system issues.
His interests include evaluating the application of technology in teaching-and-learning settings and examining education projects to ascertain the quality with which strategies to improve learning are implemented with students. Dr. Knestis earned a doctorate in education policy and evaluation from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education.
