Growing up in a blue-collar logging town in the Pacific Northwest, Haley was keenly aware of the connections between class and race, power, and privilege. As the daughter of a hairdresser and a high school dropout herself, her dreams for her future were limited. Growing up, work ethic was prioritized, while education was never part of the equation. She went on to see how access to education created distinct disadvantages for some groups and privileged other groups.
At the age of 20, she was encouraged to finish her high school education by a couple that were regulars at the espresso bar she managed. This was the beginning of the journey that led her to a career of disrupting the status quo, centering racial justice, and fighting to end the school-to-prison pipeline. Her career spans over 25 years, working to improve outcomes and increase opportunities for at-promise youth. She is adept at radical collaboration and building pathways across community, K-12, behavioral health, and higher education systems.
In 1998, Haley received a bachelor’s of arts focused in psychology from Evergreen State College. In 2012, she earned a master’s of arts in system counseling and organizational development from the Leadership Institute of Seattle. In 2023, she received a change management certificate from Cornell University.