Kelli Garrett 

LIFE Program

Executive Director and Director of Transitions Program, LIFE Program

Biography

Kelli Garrett is the Executive Director of the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) program, where she leads strategic development, student engagement, and re-entry initiatives for incarcerated students pursuing higher education. She works to build community partnerships and advocate for expanded educational opportunities for justice-impacted individuals, supporting their path to transformative learning and successful reintegration.

Previously, Garrett served as the Director of Assessment for Lipscomb Online, overseeing the nationally recognized CORE Assessment Center program. Her leadership expanded program reach, enhanced assessment methods, and strengthened partnerships with community organizations and corporate partners, providing adult learners with pathways to earn academic credit for real-world experience.

Garrett began her career creating and managing social service programs at Second Harvest Food Bank and St. Luke’s Community House. She has also served as an adjunct instructor for the BSW Adult Degree Program at Lipscomb University and the BSW and MSW programs at the University of Memphis. Additionally, she has supervised undergraduate and graduate social work students from multiple Nashville universities.

She holds a B.S. in Social Work from Lipscomb University, an M.S. in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, and a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Memphis, where her research focused on prison education and its impact on student behavior.

Academic Degree

• B.S. in Social Work, Lipscomb University

• M.S. in Social Work, University of Tennessee

• Doctorate in Social Work, University of Memphis