Kalyan Balaven serves as the Head of Dunn School, where he is deeply committed to fostering authentic humanity in education. Balaven strives to teach and lead in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Balaven is the founder of the Inclusion Dashboard Consortium and the Santa Barbara Inclusion Lab, two initiatives dedicated to helping schools measure and strengthen belonging within their communities. Through these efforts, he provides valuable tools that enable educational institutions to create more inclusive environments.

As the host of The Whole Student podcast, Balaven delves into the intersection of data-informed inclusion and genuine human connection in education. His writing and interviews, featured by organizations such as the National Association of Independent Schools and Business Leadership for Independent Schools, explore how schools can use data to support meaningful inclusion while maintaining a focus on each student’s needs and experiences.

Balaven practices Shia Islam as a follower of the legacy of Fatima. He is one of the few English-speaking elegists in the tradition of marsiya*, having composed “The Tragedy of Karbala and Other Poems.” Through his poetry, Balaven weaves the remembrance of Karbala into his work, enriching his approach to teaching, leadership, and inclusion with spiritual depth and cultural understanding.

Speaker: Take Heart Now Series

*Marsiya: The word is derived from the Arabic word marthiyya, meaning “lamentation” or “tragedy”.