Karma Haynes Ed.D.
Karma Haynes, Ed.D., is an empathetic yet firm education leader with over 23 years of experience in special education, teaching, coaching, and higher education. Inspired by her mother, who was also an educator, Dr. Haynes developed a passion for teaching and learning early in life. She initially pursued art therapy and earned an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts from Tidewater Community College, but her career path changed after working a summer job at the Sugar Plum Bakery, where she discovered her love for supporting individuals with special needs. This experience led her to transition her academic focus to psychology, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Old Dominion University in 1998, followed by a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Old Dominion University, where she built a strong foundation in child development, learning disabilities, and inclusive instructional practices.
Dr. Haynes currently serves in her role as an education specialist and instructional coach, a position she has held for the past two years. In this capacity, she coaches 20 teachers across 9 schools, providing thoughtful, supportive, and low-anxiety professional guidance to help educators grow in their practice. She is most proud of her work in bridging the gap between teachers and administrators, helping create stronger communication, trust, and collaborative learning environments. In 2024, she earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership from Regent University, completing much of her doctoral research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her dissertation focused on educators who obtain licensure through alternative certification programs without student teaching experiences, capturing their lived experiences through qualitative research. She now serves as an adjunct professor and mentor at Regent University, where she teaches doctoral courses and supports students as they develop research skills, locate dissertations, and build their academic and professional voices.
Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Haynes is deeply committed to community service and personal passions. She actively supports 4Kids, an organization dedicated to helping families secure housing and school supplies for children in need. In her personal life, she enjoys spending time at the beach, cooking, baking, bike riding, reading, supporting the arts, and exploring Norfolk, Virginia. Known for her thoughtful leadership style, she strives to balance empathy with accountability, creating environments where students, teachers, and colleagues feel supported while being challenged to grow. Through her work in education, coaching, and mentorship, Dr. Haynes continues to make a meaningful impact on both her local community and the broader field of education.
• Ed.D Educational Leadership
• Regent University - EdD
• Old Dominion University - M.A.Ed
• Old Dominion University - BS, Psych
• Associate's degree in Fine Arts, TCC
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being unreasonably resilient and having an excess of grit. I think this comes from both of my parents, who set a strong standard of excellence. My mom was an educator and a middle school science teacher, and my dad is a marine biologist who always had a side hustle. When I was growing up, he worked at an aquarium and also taught scuba diving in the evening. I'm used to the whole idea of having a main job and a side job while still being available to your family, because I saw my dad do it. I come from a long line of educators, and that work ethic and resilience has been ingrained in me from the beginning.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from an older couple I met while working at a restaurant in my city. The wife was an advocate for families of students with special needs and would go to court with them, and I really respected this couple. When I was grappling with making a change in my career, she told me that anytime they had ever made a change, it was for the best. She explained that you either realize what was going well that you didn't appreciate before, or it puts you into a whole other place that you can leap from. This advice has stayed with me throughout my career. When I moved from Norfolk, Virginia to Sacramento, I didn't enjoy my job there, but it encouraged me to get out of the sweet little bubble I had been living in. It allowed me to see things more globally and meet different people. Change can be scary because you don't want to leave your comfortableness, but it is so helpful for personal growth. I even tell my doctoral students that their stamina for being uncomfortable is what is going to allow them to finish their doctorate.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Education is a female-dominated field, but it can be hard to navigate. My advice is to go in and be quiet for a little bit. Look and see who is kind and thoughtful, and get with those people. Ask them how they did it. I always look for the people that are maybe not the loudest right away. I really care about doing things thoughtfully, so I try to find people in any situation that I am in and align with them. Don't just follow the loudest voices in the room. Take time to observe, identify the educators who demonstrate kindness and thoughtfulness in their work, and learn from their experience.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
We really need more teachers, and we need more people that are willing to be a teacher, but it takes so much energy that it's not calling as many people to it as it has in the past. The classes are bigger, and the teachers are more tired. One of the biggest issues I see is that we have a lack of substitute teachers, so our teachers are asked to fill in everywhere, and there's no time given back to them. They don't get their planning time back, they don't get that lunch time that they missed three times that week. It never comes back to them, and I'm seeing teachers who are just really drained. There's no time to reset. When you compound that with challenging student behaviors, it becomes overwhelming. Student behavior has changed a lot since COVID, and we're seeing a lot of it even at our younger ages. Teachers are feeling tired and burned out. The job has become less attractive, and when you consider that most teachers are expected to get a master's degree, that's six years of schooling. You could spend that money and time in another area and make way more money.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me in my work and personal life are being accepting of others, being kind, and exuding empathy. As an only child who ended up having three children, I'm always pushing my kids to be accepting of each other and to give each other grace when they're having bad days. I try to find ways for them to be kind to each other. It's one thing to be good at your job. You can be good at almost anything with enough practice and if you care and put some energy into it. But I really think in today's world that if we're not actively looking to be kind and to have empathy for people, we're going to miss out. Even if I could get 60 percent of people doing this, I'd be happy. These values guide everything I do, from how I work with my teachers and doctoral students to how I raise my children.
Locations
Education
Norfolk, VA 23508