Tessa Mizokami

Tessa Mizokami joined KIPP SoCal in 2014 and currently serves as the Director of Literacy. Prior to her current role, Tessa was a founding School Leader at KIPP Pueblo Unido, an Assistant School Leader at KIPP Vida Preparatory and a Dean at KIPP Iluminar Academy. She has coached and managed teachers across grade levels and is passionate about teacher development and support. Prior to leadership, Tessa was an elementary teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area and a founding teacher at KIPP Iluminar Academy. She was Teacher of the Year at KIPP SoCal in 2017. Tessa is a first generation college graduate and is originally from Los Angeles. She takes pride in being part of a large family that is of mixed Japanese and Colombian heritage.