Kelli A. Murray, JD, MBA, has recently joined Barnard College as Executive Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer.
Murray is a highly skilled strategist who earned President Laura Rosenbury’s trust and respect while working at the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law. She served on Rosenbury’s senior leadership team from 2017 to 2020, during Rosenbury’s tenure as the UF law school dean (2015-2023).
Murray began her professional career as an attorney in BakerHostetler’s Orlando office and eventually shifted from direct legal practice to higher education. She started in career placement, and over the course of her higher-education career worked in or oversaw the following areas: academic programs, accreditation, admissions, career placement, compliance, data/institutional effectiveness, development, diversity and inclusion, external and government relations, events, facilities, finance/accounting, human resources/people operations, operations, strategic planning, and Title IX.
Murray has worked in both private and public higher education with undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and students. She values people development and relationships and prides herself on being a strong collaborator, strategically working across teams to reach mutual goals.
More recently, Murray was the inaugural Chief Operating Officer of Camelback Ventures, a nonprofit organization headquartered in New Orleans that addresses inequities in education and social innovation through the support of undervalued BIPOC, women, and nonbinary entrepreneurs.
The Florida native completed her undergraduate education at UF, earned her law degree at Florida State University, and received an executive MBA at UF. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and holds Lean Six Sigma and SHRM-SCP certifications, a nod to areas that drive her work — efficiencies and strategic people operations, respectively.
Murray is excited to be part of the Barnard community, where she will be primarily responsible for spearheading the formation, communication, and advancement of President Rosenbury’s priorities through transparent, inclusive, and data-driven processes. She will regularly coordinate, collaborate, and partner with Senior Staff, other members of the Barnard community, and external partners alongside, and on behalf of, President Rosenbury. She will also oversee President Rosenbury’s office and manage strategic initiatives residing primarily in the office. She looks forward to immersing herself in the campus and getting to know the Morningside Heights neighborhood.
Her email is kmurray@barnard.edu.