Highlighting leaders in education: Kimberly Flack, Arizona PBS

Kimberly Flack is the Senior Director of Education and Community Impact at Arizona PBS. Every month, a leader in education across the state will be featured through a Q&A article. 

Flack is the head of the education team at Arizona PBS. She shares her personal experiences working as a special education teacher, her current role and how these experiences have molded her perspective on education.

Roxanne De La Rosa: Can you share a little bit about your role and responsibilities at Arizona PBS?

Kimberly Flack: Firstly, I serve as “principal Investigator” for all Arizona PBS education grants. This includes writing, managing and reporting on data and budgets to funders.

I’m responsible for managing the education leadership team – this includes associate directors who manage the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry, First Things First college scholarship program, and services across the state with schools, families and children including workshops and camps. I also  partner with the development team to find new funding partners to sustain services. 

I help recruit community partners, collaborate with national and local education leaders and serve on the national PBS KIDS leadership committee and Fred Rogers Productions station advisory team.

De La Rosa: What do you enjoy most about your work?

Flack: What I enjoy most is giving back and sharing books and resources with children, teachers and families. It’s also fulfilling to know the programs – workshops, camps, resources are making a difference. At times paperwork to complete evaluations can be tedious but so worth it!

De La Rosa: What inspired you to get involved in the field of education? 

Flack: I always wanted to be a teacher. I used to play school with my younger sister and brother and have them do all sorts of assignments. My first interest was teaching deaf students and I took several classes learning American Sign Language (ASL), through the community and then in college.

I had amazing teachers. Each grade I found I wanted to emulate that teacher. Middle school social studies and English especially inspired me. Ms. Caroline Nelson and Mrs. Jodie Chambers captured my imagination and all the possibilities a classroom could have. Dr. Craft in high school taught a seminar that allowed us to dive into personal areas of interest for independent studies.  

I never imagined having an opportunity to work for Arizona PBS! After classroom teaching for 10 years, I had our high school librarian recommend I apply for the Regional Coordinator/ professional development position at Arizona PBS (called ASSET back then).  It was the best decision to launch a whole new path in education!

De La Rosa: You mentioned you were a teacher for many years. Can you share some of your teaching experiences, successes and or challenges?

Flack: Biggest challenge – paperwork! I taught special education and wrote many, many IEPs (individual education plans). Students were never an issue; they were definitely the best part.  

I had the opportunity to teach creative writing and Senior English and also U.S. History. Those were some of the most fun classroom experiences because having two teachers in the classroom allowed us to be more adventurous in the activities and lessons.

I taught journalism, and my student editors for the newspaper and yearbook will always be close to my heart. Some of those individuals have gone on to be teachers and principals with schools of their own. Others have gone on to be authors and professional development trainers.  

One last challenge and a big driver for my passion to provide mental health support to families and students: I had several students throughout my 10 classroom years who struggled with suicide ideation and a few who did pass away. Grieving with my students who knew and loved those teens was heartbreaking. Also, continually emphasizing the importance of persistence and resilience was essential. Ultimately, remembering each day is a gift and words matter.

De La Rosa: How has being a teacher and educator impacted you and your life perspective?

Flack: Each student, each family, each colleague all have unique stories and make every day different. As stressful as it can be, it is equally joyful. Sharing the incredible curriculum and resources from PBS, seeing sparks in teachers’ and students’ eyes as they consider the possibilities. 

Being a parent also impacted my work as a teacher. I have four adult children, but two have learning disabilities and ADHD. Living with homework struggles, learning to read, understanding math, and all the challenges with various subjects as they grew, and advocating for them to get the support and accommodations they needed in schools, they didn’t necessarily receive.

De La Rosa: How do you feel about the state of education in Arizona? 

Flack: I’m concerned. The educators themselves have their hearts in the right place and the vision to create the classrooms our students need. The politics and working conditions are exhausting. We are now reaping the consequences of low morale, teacher pay and support for schools with teachers leaving the profession, sometimes in the middle of the school year. 

The tobacco tax has been essential for early childhood and propelled the field and resources for families with young children ages 0 to 5 to offer a strong start. It is my hope the new legislation proposed in the legislature in 2026 will provide additional sustainable funds for all the First Things First programs. I can only dream of opportunities (free childcare) like New Mexico has offered to families statewide to someday be an opportunity for Arizona.

De La Rosa: What changes if any would you like to see surrounding education? 

Flack: I think school choice will continue to be a blessing and a curse. Charter, public and private schools can all offer so many options for families. Funding policy needs to be better determined and enforced. Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) funds have wreaked havoc with budgets. They are necessary but within reason.

Also, continuing to support teachers and fund their education. We are providing apprenticeships, high school career and technical education, and then paying for college so it can bring more talented individuals to consider the field.

De La Rosa: As a former teacher, is there a memorable moment with a student or class in which you felt you made a positive impact? 

Flack: Running the journalism class like a “business” and empowering student leadership teams to serve as editors and business managers (ad sales, etc.) made each year unique, and saying goodbye to those graduating seniors was always hard.

Finding out some of those students went on to join the field of education was even more inspiring to me!

De La Rosa: What is something most people wouldn’t know about you? 

Flack: Not sure; I am such an open book!

I am married to a recently retired high school teacher. We met teaching and even had some students at our wedding! We celebrated our 30th anniversary last December.

I have four adult children; the youngest are boy and girl twins. My oldest works in tech support, my second oldest is a Cronkite graduate (BA and MA) and works in public relations, the oldest twin (by 3 minutes) is also an ASU graduate and a registered nurse, and my youngest is working toward a career in data and IT. 

I took piano for 10 years and participated in judging experiences playing on a stage at ASU School of Music each year. We had to play two pieces by memory and prepare scales and chords. I started this experience as a third grader but began lessons when I was five. I went on to play the flute and piccolo in the concert band and was a part of the percussion/drum line in the marching band with the cymbals at local Camelback High School.

De La Rosa: Is there anything you’d like to add that I didn’t ask? 

Flack: Can’t think of anything right now. I have been with Arizona PBS coming up on 25 years this June 2026.

I have led professional development workshops for teachers, camps for young children and family engagement workshop series throughout the state. From Window Rock to Kayenta, to Colorado City, Lake Havasu City, Prescott and Flagstaff, south to Yuma, San Luis, Wellton and over to Tucson, Vail and the central portions of the state, it has been amazing. I have to remind myself in those miles how fortunate I am to get to meet and work with so many different communities and cultures.  

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and available 24/7. Call or text 988.

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Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.

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