An award-winning educator who has taught in collegiate classrooms around the world, K-12 schools, prisons, refugee camps, and health care facilities.

A recognized author of multiple academic articles, essays, book chapters, and two books.

A researcher with graduate degrees in communication and in neuroscience studying the intersection of communication, social change, accessibility, and what we know about how our brain learns.

A consultant who works with individuals, schools, and corporate & nonprofit work spaces to think about communication, learning models, belonging-based & anti-racist efforts, and everyday communicative experiences.

A highly sought after speaker who has been asked to share her ideas with communities from Los Angeles, USA to Cairo, Egypt in front of audiences who have called her “the most engaging speaker” they’ve seen, doing some of the most “amazing and inspiring” work they know.

A nonprofit founder and director who facilitates learning spaces in more than seventeen US states for those facing barriers to educational access, from formerly incarcerated individuals to those with disabilities. 

Who is Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes?

As one student contends, she is “the blueprint of what an educator should be.” Another fondly refers to her as, “the Michael Jordan of professors.”

Above all, as the survivor of a life-threatening brain cancer prognosis, a 17-hour brain surgery, and a long journey that led to a successful recovery, Heather values every moment. She knows the extent of what’s possible in our everyday lives. As a result, she helps campuses, workplaces, and communities not only know their voice, but use it.