Kerry Calnan

In December 2022, Kerry Calnan, DBA, joined Springfield College as chief of staff in the Office of the President. Calnan comes to Springfield College with more than 30 years of experience in business and higher education. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Innovation and External Affairs for Nichols College. She was responsible for a Center for Intelligent Process Automation, a Business Consulting Group, Career and Professional Development Center, and the Institute for Women’s Leadership. She served as the primary contact liaising with local, state, and federal constituencies on behalf of the college. In addition, she was a member of the faculty as associate professor of Accounting and Finance. She has been at the forefront, leveraging technology to deliver education. She prioritizes affordable access through her work with open education resources and competency-based learning degree programs in online, hybrid, and face-to-face delivery models. Her passion is creative and innovative partnerships for industry and higher education to meet the needs of the future of work.

Calnan is engaged in her professional community, volunteering on several boards. She has led business-specialized accreditation site visits at more than 15 schools in the U.S., France, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, she serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. She is active in CBEN (Competency-Based Education Network). She served as a board member for the regional chamber of commerce and a Western Massachusetts Junior Achievement board member. She regularly is asked to present at national and international conferences on innovation in higher education, leveraging technology, and creating partnerships with the business community to close workforce skills gaps.

Before realizing that higher education was her passion, she served as a division controller for a multi-billion-dollar global company.

Calnan holds a BSBA in accounting from Westfield State University with a minor in women’s studies, an MBA from Western New England University in Massachusetts, and a DBA in Finance from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She is also a Certified Management Accountant.