Dr. Kristen Alana Antoine-Morse, a native of New Iberia, Louisiana; received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University in 2003, and upon moving back to New Iberia, she gave back to her community by teaching various high school science courses at New Iberia Senior High School for six years and by participating in numerous community service projects with her sorority as a part of the New Iberia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. In 2010, she became National Board Certified in AYA Biology and moved back to the Baton Rouge area where she taught high school Biology at Northeast High School. During this time she worked on her master’s degree in Natural Science at LSU and +30 hours of Educational Leadership credits at Southern University simultaneously. In 2014, Dr. Morse was promoted to East Baton Rouge Parish Schools Secondary Science Curriculum Specialist, where she oversaw the science curriculum on a district level. Dr. Morse continued to further her education by moving into the Educational Specialist program at Louisiana State University, and she completed this degree in 2015. Upon completing this degree, she was asked to assume the responsibility of K-12 Science Curriculum Specialist for East Baton Rouge Parish Schools. She later became an assistant principal at Istrouma High School and then Woodlawn High School. Currently, she holds the position of Science Curriculum Supervisor for East Baton Rouge Parish Schools.
Dr. Kristen Antoine –Morse received her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University in August of 2017, where her research focused on post-secondary correctional education and the effects of the School to Prison Pipeline. Upon graduation, she began to further her research and started a non-profit organization tailored toward her research and community interest. B.E.L.O.V.E.D. Community: Bridge to Enhance the Lives of Offenders and Victims through Education and Dialogue is a grassroots organization that is growing into a positive avenue to address penal reform, restorative justice, children affected by the penal system, and redirecting the school-to-prison pipeline. In the coming months, she will be completing her book, Victory is Ours – A life skills handbook for adolescents dealing with the stigma of the incarcerated family; and is currently piloting the program in Baton Rouge, LA at Istrouma High School. She works tirelessly alongside organizations like LA Cure and Louisianans for Prison Alternatives to continue to address the problem of mass incarceration in the great state of Louisiana.