About Kellie Early

As the Director of Academic and Bar Support Services, Kellie is helping to build the Law School’s new comprehensive bar support program. She is also an instructor teaching Lawyering and Legal Analysis and Bar Skills. She is also assisting with the Law School’s bar exam support and student success programs. Kellie has more than two decades experience working in bar admissions at the state and national levels. Kellie was the Chief Strategy Officer at the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) where she was responsible for developing NCBE’s strategic plan and mobilizing teams to execute strategic initiatives and continuously improve products and services. Prior to joining NCBE, Kellie was the executive director of the Missouri Board of Law Examiners.

While at NCBE, Kellie served as the project director for the testing task force that conducted a comprehensive research study to redesign the bar examination. She was the lead author of the study reports documenting the research and explaining the changes to the design and content of the exam. After the study’s completion, Kellie worked with NCBE’s test development, psychometric, and IT staff to identify critical policy issues and establish a detailed work plan and timeline for the development and launch of the NextGen bar exam, currently scheduled for July 2026. She also led the strategy, coordination, and outreach work of the implementation team.

Before she began working in bar admissions, Kellie served as the director of Continuing Legal Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and was an adjunct professor teaching Legal Research & Writing. She began her legal career in private practice with Thompson Mitchell (now Thompson Coburn) in St. Louis and is licensed to practice in Missouri and California.

Areas of Expertise

• Assessment for licensure and certification
• Bar admissions and professional regulation

Educational Background

• BA, University of Missouri
• JD, University of Missouri