Dr. Keena Day, Ed.D

Dr. Keena Day is an educator, writer and poet. She is currently the Chief Academic Officer at Breakthrough Public Schools in Cleveland, OH. An educator for over 20 years, teaching grades 6-12 ELA and social studies, she has also served as a certified literacy specialist and central office administrator in public and public charter districts. She has taught rhetoric and technical writing at the collegiate level. Keena leads school leadership, teachers, and school organizations in many areas of instructional leadership including culturally responsive pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, instructional design, leadership coaching, data analysis, systematic programming implementation, and literacy best practices. She specializes in dismantling oppressive and inequitable systems in organizations and using grassroots tactics to empower teachers and school leaders to implement change towards educational liberation and student intellectualism.

Keena is also a freelance writer and journalist writing for several media outlets such as the Tennessee Tribune, Boardhawk, and My Black Colorado Magazine. Keena’s work includes serving as a contributing author for two best-selling books released in 2021: The HBCU Experience: Band Alumni Edition, and the Black Studies collegiate textbooks Africana Paradigms, Practices, and Literary Texts and Elevating Humanity via Africana Womanism. She has been a frequent guest on podcasts and radio shows including Google Education, EdCuration, and Teach Colorado and has been a speaker at conferences focused on Black women's empowerment, politics, education, and literacy instruction. She has served on Diversity, Education, and Inclusion (DEI) city commissions and boards in Colorado and in various communities.

Keena is the appointed SAI Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She was initiated in 2003 by Kappa Iota Chapter at Tennessee State University. She has served in multiple collegiate and alumnae chapter roles and served as Province Officer (Psi B) and Region 4 Regional Officer. She has received the Sword of Honor, Ruby Sword of Honor, Rose of Honor, and recognition pin from the Denver Alumnae Chapter. Keena's husband, Jimmy Day II, is the 2023 Colorado Teacher of the Year -- the first music teacher to win the prestigious award in the state. He was initiated as a SAI Friend of the Arts and is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. They have two sons: Jimmy, who is an architect in Denver, and Jimari, who is a recent graduate and Euphoniumist of Denver School of the Arts and will be studying Theater at Metropolitan State University.