J. Keith Motley, PhD
Keith Motley, PhD
Chancellor Emeritus / Professor
University of Massachusetts Boston
Keith Motley served as Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston between 2007 and 2017, and currently serves as Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor in UMass Boston’s College of Management. He has served more than 30 years in higher education administration including ten years as dean of student services at Northeastern University.
Dr. Motley is a founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and chair emeritus of the school’s Board of Trustees and he also serves on the Board of Cathedral High School. He is the founder and education chair of Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, as well as the Paul Robeson Institute for Positive Self-Development, an academic and social enrichment
program for school-aged children of color. He serves on numerous boards of community organizations with local, regional, and national reach including The Boston Foundation, The Union League of Eastern Massachusetts, Eastern Bank, and The Sports Museum.
Over the years Keith Motley has been named to the Boston Business Journal’s “Power 50” list of Boston area influencers, the “Get Konnected 100” list of Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color, recipient of Boston Business Journal’s 2014 Leaders in Diversity Award, and chosen by The Boston Globe in 2012 for its “Diversity Boston” list of local leaders who have promoted diversity throughout Boston.
Dr. Motley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University and a doctor of
philosophy from Boston College. He also holds honorary degrees awarded by Northeastern University, Robert Morris University, Pine Manor College and Stonehill College. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Upward Bound Program.
