About UMGC

Athena Kennedy joined UMGC in August 2020 as vice president, digital teaching and learning.

She brings almost 20 years of experience to the role, having served most recently as online program launch director for Purdue University Online. Before that, she was an online instructor, manager of instructional design, instructional technologist, researcher, and student services professional in higher education, at institutions including Arizona State University, the University of Wyoming, California State University San Bernardino—Palm Desert Campus, Colorado State University Online—Fort Collins, and Laramie County Community College. She has taught college-level courses in content management, technical writing and digital media, communications, marketing, and instructional design.

In her new role, Kennedy will oversee course development and curriculum design in Academic Affairs and will work with AccelerEd to develop a best-in-class technology ecosystem to support UMGC's digital teaching and learning strategy.

Kennedy holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish, bachelor's and master's degrees in communications, and a PhD in higher education administration with a focus in online education, all from the University of Wyoming.