Kinsey Walker is a South Charleston, West Virginia native and an alum of the College of Wooster and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School of Education. She is the first STEM Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in West Virginia.

Kinsey began her professional career as a classroom teacher focused on rural schools and communities in the South, and she has taught grades Kindergarten through college, where her love for education and STEM subjects grew. Kinsey was not as naturally gifted with STEM subjects growing up, but struggling through them made her a better teacher and she still loves seeing a lightbulb moment with adults and students.

When she left the classroom and returned to her home in the Mountain State, Kinsey worked exclusively with companies across West Virginia to highlight opportunities to stay in or choose West Virginia for technology, engineering, communications, architecture, or science careers. She also supported adults and professionals transitioning mid-career with Generation West Virginia.

Kinsey is looking forward to getting back into the classroom with teachers and students, and working with partners across the state. With NETL, she will serve communities in a new way, by helping create access to opportunities for students, contributing to attracting and retaining talent in West Virginia, and creating spaces for students to access STEM.