Dr. Kelly McMurray Named Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President at the University of the District of Columbia

Kelly McMurray, Ph.D.—a statistician, educator and experienced administrator—has been named Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

On July 19, 2023, the University Board of Trustees approved the appointment of McMurray at its Executive Committee Meeting. McMurray assumed the role on August 16, 2023, joining recently installed President Maurice Edington in UDC’s Executive Cabinet.

“I am extremely humbled to have the opportunity to contribute to UDC’s growth and success,” McMurray said at the Board of Trustees meeting. “Throughout my career, I have seen how higher education transforms students’ lives and how institutions are critical in shaping the future of our students, which mirrors UDC’s mission.”

McMurray comes to UDC from Florida A&M University (FAMU), where she served alongside Edington as the Vice President for Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness. She also has served in similar roles at Albany State University in Albany, Georgia; the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, Maryland; and Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia.

“I am committed to leading with integrity and fostering an environment of collaboration, sustainability, innovation and excellence,” McMurray shared. “Our success at UDC depends on the collective efforts of faculty, staff and students working together toward a common goal. I am here to serve as a bridge between various stakeholders, facilitating effective communication and aligning our efforts to ensure we achieve the shared UDC vision that all students will achieve their highest level of human potential.”

McMurray’s approach to institutional effectiveness, she said, requires examining processes in their “entirety” and “beginning with the end in mind.”

“The same type of planning that we do in our daily lives, institutions have to do,” McMurray said. “We have to look at the external environment to see what’s happening outside the institution in various areas to see how it impacts us, and to see what we can be proactive in doing, and we also need to look at ourselves internally to move us forward.”

Edington selected McMurray as his incoming Chief of Staff after working closely with her for nearly two years at FAMU. He referred to McMurray as an “extremely hard-working individual.”

“She’s a woman of high integrity, transparency, collaborative spirit,” Edington said. McMurray was the first person who came to mind when the President considered how to further enhance the University’s leadership, he said.

McMurray’s higher-education experience also includes some 15 years in the classroom, where she taught mathematics and statistics. She has also served in mentorship roles, including with FAMU’s Research Boot Camp, a program supported by the National Science Foundation. There, she helped postdoctoral scholars shape their career paths and refine their research plans and trajectories.

From both a teaching perspective and an institutional one, she has seen first-hand how education has made a direct impact on student trajectories. When first-generation college students find employment post-graduation, for example, she said that success extends to their children and family members.

“If you can see it, you can dream it,” McMurray said.

McMurray received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Clark Atlanta University and a master’s in applied mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University. She holds a Ph.D. in educational policy studies, with a concentration in research, measurement and statistics, from Georgia State University.

The Cincinnati native enjoys studying history and is an exercise enthusiast. She is a member of Sisters of the Academy, the National Council of Negro Women, Leadership Southern Maryland, the American Association of Community Colleges Future Presidents Institute, and the University System of Georgia Executive Leadership Institute.