Renique Kersh

Dr. Renique Kersh became UMBC’s Vice President for Student Affairs on August 15, 2023.

A strategic leader with a strong commitment to student success and well-being, Dr. Kersh is committed to putting students at the center of important institutional decisions and ensuring that they feel seen and heard. Her experience in both academic and student affairs provides her with a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing students and higher education institutions.

She believes in fostering an inclusive environment where students and staff feel supported, and where transformative experiences pave the way to new discoveries and new opportunities. Her commitment has resulted in retention gains, reductions in equity gaps and barriers to student success, increased engagement and better alignment of services to increase efficiency and the level of service delivery. In her current role, Dr. Kersh is leading the transformation of the Division of Student Affairs with an eye toward ensuring that the organizational structure and resources meet the needs of today’s college students. She is motivated by the belief that as educators and leaders, it is our responsibility to evolve our model to meet students where they are and to create an environment where every student has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Dr. Kersh received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award in 2023 and recently, she was selected as one of the top 50 women leaders in Baltimore by Women We Admire. In 2022 she was named a Senior Impact Fellow by the Aspen Institute where she co-authored a report focused on the advancement of youth leadership development opportunities. A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Kersh has authored numerous articles, been featured in several podcasts and book chapters, and engaged in numerous presentations on the topics of women’s leadership, vulnerability, student engagement, and imposter syndrome.

She began her career in Residential Life at UMBC and has held mid-level and senior-level leadership positions at North Central College, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Simmons University.

Dr. Kersh earned her B.A. in Communications from Oakland University, her M.Ed. in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, and her Ph.D. in Community Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She is a wife and a mother of two boys and in her spare time she enjoys reading and learning about leadership, working out on Peloton, and spending time with her family and friends.