Kelly Nix is an educator and advocate whose work and activism encompass human rights, animal welfare, and environmental justice. With more than a decade of experience in education and school leadership, she currently serves as the Executive Director of Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie, Colorado, an organization that emphasizes education as the main driver for building a more compassionate and just world.
Guided by the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence toward all living beings), Kelly’s work exemplifies a holistic approach to liberation that tackles interconnected systems of oppression. Her passion for farmed animals fuels her daily dedication to advancing sanctuary education and creating transformative learning experiences that inspire visitors to select compassionate options.
Kelly’s academic journey reflects her dedication to comprehensive social justice. She holds a BA in Sociology from Adams State College, a Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently working toward a Doctorate in Educational & Professional Practice with a focus on Comprehensive Humane Education at Antioch University, expected to graduate in 2026. Her dissertation develops and operationalizes the Web of Liberation as a transdisciplinary framework for understanding and dismantling interconnected systems of oppression across human, nonhuman, and ecological domains. Building on decades of intersectional scholarship and activism, this work synthesizes insights from critical pedagogy, decolonial theory, posthumanist thought, and total liberation praxis to create a comprehensive model for transformative justice education and coalition building. The framework introduces three related concepts: “Interliberation,” focusing on relational processes by which liberation movements support each other; “Omniliberation,” envisioning complete freedom across all areas of life; and “Synergistic Justice Praxis,” offering pedagogical approaches for fostering these interconnected forms of liberation.
As a board member of the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, Kelly helps lead an organization dedicated to challenging animal exploitation through thorough academic research and critical scholarship. ICAS explores the links between animal oppression and other forms of systemic violence. Her role on the board of the Brave New Life Project directly supports this mission by highlighting the human impacts of animal agriculture and showing how industrial farming systems form interconnected webs of exploitation that require comprehensive liberation approaches addressing both human and nonhuman suffering. Kelly also serves on the boards of Community Fruit Rescue and the Association for Professional Humane Educators.
Kellye aims to apply the knowledge and skills from the Animal Law MSL Program directly to her daily work, improving education at farmed animal sanctuaries. Additionally, Kelly plans to teach in higher education alongside her role as Executive Director, bridging academic theory and practical sanctuary education.