Kiersten Gibson-Cooper is the founder of KGC Pilates, a Brooklyn-based classical mat Pilates brand built on the conviction that movement is not a reward for productivity — it is the foundation of it. Through weekly community classes in Flatbush, a residency at Soho House, and engagements in Boston, Brazil, and Cartagena, Colombia, Kiersten has built a practice that meets people where they are and gives their bodies what leadership demands have taken.
At the NewSchools Summit, Kiersten is bringing a Pilates experience rooted in a simple and radical idea: that the most effective leaders are the ones who have learned to lead from the body, not just the mind. Her work sits at the intersection of movement, identity, and institutional leadership — and she has lived that intersection firsthand as a Regional Superintendent at Achievement First, overseeing schools across Brooklyn while building one of New York’s most dynamic wellness brands.
Kiersten believes the next frontier of leadership development is somatic. And she is here to prove it.