Dean Amanda Klay
(203) 432-0520
amanda.klay@yale.edu
Branford College — J13
74 High St. New Haven, CT 06511
Dean Amanda Klay joins Branford College with over a decade of experience in student advising and mentoring, with a particular focus on first-generation and low-income (FGLI) student success. She began her career in the college access space; a thread she has carried throughout her professional trajectory. She is passionate about expanding access to opportunity, and is committed to building meaningful relationships that help students find and amplify their voices, interests, aspirations, and evolving paths - particularly during their formative college years.
Dean Klay is eager to get to know the incoming class of Branfordians and is here as a resource for all Branford students. Informally, you can find her in the dining hall where she looks forward to sharing meals in community as well as attending events and activities that showcase the exceptional academic and extracurricular talents of Branford’s students. You are also welcome to make an appointment to meet with her by contacting her senior administrative assistant, Jen DellaCamera (jennifer.dellacamera@yale.edu or 203-432-0520).
Dean Klay brings to Branford experience in the fields of college advising, nonprofit leadership, public service, government affairs, and immigration law.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College where she majored in international relations (with a particular focus on human rights) and engaged in extensive travel and research in Latin America. She joined AmeriCorps upon graduation and spent two years building out the retention-based arm of a college access program in Southeastern Connecticut, which she then led in her capacity as Success Program Director. Inspired to approach addressing systemic barriers from a different vantage point, she was inspired to return to school with her sights set on defending community members at risk of deportation. She joined the team at Yale School of Management, during which time she began preparations for her future legal education and was honored to become an Associate Fellow at Yale’s Silliman College, where she spent nearly a decade working with FGLI students through the first-year advising program.
Immediately prior to enrolling in law school, Dean Klay was appointed to Governor Ned Lamont’s staff where she went on to serve as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs and, at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, worked alongside colleagues to advance Connecticut’s emergency response. She was subsequently appointed as a Commissioner on the Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission.
She earned her JD from Quinnipiac University School of Law where she was active in the Civil Justice Clinic. Upon graduation, she was selected for a national fellowship through Immigrant Justice Corps, which afforded her the privilege of advocating for clients in removal proceedings who otherwise would not have been able to afford legal counsel.
Most recently, Dean Klay served as Director of Strategic Partnerships at DataHaven, a statewide nonprofit (based in New Haven) using data for community action with a mission of empowering people to create thriving communities by ensuring access to data on well-being, equity, and quality of life.
Dean Klay grew up in Western Massachusetts, raised by her late father and beloved mother and grandmother. An only child, Dean Klay spent her childhood babysitting (collecting pseudo-siblings), teaching “SKIwee” (ski school), and pursuing all sorts of arts & crafts and athletic interests. She remains an avid skier, but her strongest extracurricular passion is Latin dance.
Outside of work, you can find her walking throughout New Haven, dancing salsa and bachata, baking banana bread and all sorts of other treats, and spending time with her “chosen family,” many of whom you will likely see on campus from time to time.