Liz Kleinrock

Liz Kleinrock is a Korean‑American, queer, Jewish, transracial adoptee and award‑winning educator, author, and consultant based in Washington, D.C. She specializes in antibias and antiracism work for both children and adults, crafting inquiry‑based K‑12 curricula while also leading workshops and keynotes for schools, nonprofits, and major partners like Nike, The North Face, Capital One, and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. After earning a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.Ed. from UCLA’s Teacher Education Program, she taught in diverse classrooms—including AmeriCorps service in Oakland and seven years in Watts and East Hollywood—before returning to D.C. to serve as a librarian and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at a PK‑8 school.

In 2018, Kleinrock received the prestigious Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, and her 2019 TED Talk, “How to Teach Kids to Talk about Taboo Topics,” has garnered over 2 million views and considerable media attention, from CNN and The Washington Post to NPR and BBC. She published her first adult book, "Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community," in spring 2021. Since then, she has added acclaimed children’s and middle‑grade titles—"Come and Join Us!" (2023), the autobiographical "Eyes That Weave the World’s Wonders," and "What Jewish Looks Like"—to her growing portfolio.

Outside the classroom, Kleinrock is the founder of Teach & Transform, a consultancy aimed at making social justice education accessible, meaningful, and sustainable.