UMass Boston

J. Keith Motley served as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston between 2007 and 2017. He is currently a faculty member in UMass Boston's College of Management. Previous to his appointment as chancellor, Motley served as vice president for business, marketing, and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts President’s Office, where he worked closely with President Jack M. Wilson, university leaders, and the Board of Trustees. Prior to joining the president’s office, he was the interim chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he previously had served as vice chancellor for student affairs, following more than 30 years in higher education administration that included 10 years as dean of student services at Northeastern University.

Motley is a founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and chair emeritus of the school’s Board of Trustees. He is also the founder and education chair of Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, Inc., and the Paul Robeson Institute for Positive Self-Development, an academic and social enrichment program for school-aged children of color. He also serves on numerous boards of community organizations with local, regional, and national reach, including Carney Hospital (as chair of the board of trustees), Freedom House, the Boston Foundation, the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, the Boston Sports Museum, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the Commonwealth Corporation, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Motley also chairs the Boston Committee for the “Do the Write Thing Challenge,” an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.

Sharing his vast experience in educational leadership and administration, Motley is a past chair of the Newbury College Board of Trustees. He was appointed as the co-chair of Success Boston, a college-completion initiative founded by former Boston mayor Thomas Menino. On a national level, he is a past chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and a mentor for its Millennium Leadership Initiative, a premier leadership development program that provides individuals from underrepresented populations in high-ranking positions in higher education the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the higher education landscape, develop skills, and build the networks needed to advance to the presidency. He also serves on the boards of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the American Council on Education (ACE).  Chancellor Motley has served as a member of the ACE Commission on Effective Leadership as well as a past chair of APLU’s Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence (CADE).

For the past five years Motley has been named to the Boston Business Journal's "Power 50" list of Boston-area influencers. In 2016, he was named to the "Get Konnected! 100" list of Boston's 100 Most Influential People of Color. The Boston Business Journal also selected Dr. Motley as a recipient of its 2014 Leaders in Diversity Awards, which honor companies and businesspeople for their leadership in promoting inclusiveness and economic opportunity. In 2012, he was chosen by The Boston Globe as one of a dozen local leaders who have promoted diversity for its "Diversity Boston" list.

Motley is also a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated and Sigma Pi Phi fraternity Beta Beta Boulé.

Motley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University and a doctor of philosophy from Boston College. He also holds an honorary degree awarded by Northeastern University. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Upward Bound Program. He is married to Angela Motley and is the proud father of Keith Allyn, Kayla Iman, and Jordan Kiara.