Meet Kyra Carby

As a native of North Tulsa, Kyra's work is centered in the communities where she was raised and still lives. Her work focuses on eliminating food insecurities, elevating green spaces, making high-quality education accessible, and investing in future generations through relationship building and restorative practices. 

Kyra Carby currently serves as Community Genealogy Grant Coordinator for the City of Tulsa. In this role, she oversees the administration of the Emmett Till Grant Program providing support to grant subrecipients while advocating for the victims and families of racial violence from the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Previously, Kyra studied as a chef and obtained her Bachelor's in Hospitality and Restaurant Management. She has worked at numerous restaurants around Tulsa which led to the creation of food education programs aimed at combating diabetes. After working with after-school programs such as Young Chefs, a culinary club promoting healthy eating habits and enhancing math and science skills through cooking, she decided to set forth in a new career in teaching. She taught for Tulsa Public Schools for five years in grades 1st through 3rd. She was named John Hope Franklin Teacher of the Year in 2020 as well as a semi-finalist for TPS Teacher of the Year, and also worked as a Montessori Guide at Oklahoma's first public Montessori school, Emerson. 

Through her time in education, she learned the invaluable skill of advocating for her students and their families. This led to her leaving the classroom and working at GGP Parks LLC as a Community Engagement Manager. With this work she was able to take her lived experience and a background of working in public education and advocate for more programs to support underserved communities in all areas of Tulsa. 

In her free time, she enjoys gardening, spending time with friends and family, laughing, cooking, and is an avid sneakerhead.