J. Keith Motley

Personal Life and Education

Motley was born to Cornelia Motley Williams and John Motley Jr. He attended Peabody High School in Pittsburgh and is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Upward Bound Program.

Motley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University and a doctor of philosophy degree from Boston College. He also holds an honorary degree from Northeastern University.

Motley was first recruited by renowned basketball coach Mike Jarvis to play Division 1 basketball at Northeastern University in 1972 as the first prospect of legendary head coach Jim Calhoun. He earned the team’s “Unsung Hero” award following his final season, among the various accolades he garnered over his college athletic career. He was inducted into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame in 1999 for “his contribution as a player, coach and advocate of the basketball program.”

Motley is a member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi fraternity Beta Beta Boulé. In college, he was president of his fraternity and earned the Director's Award from the African American Institute as the Most Outstanding Black Senior. Upon graduation from Northeastern University in 1978, he was hired as an admissions counselor by his mentor, Jack Curry, former Dean of Admissions and Senior Vice President of the university, and Philip McCabe, former Dean of Admissions. Calhoun also hired him as a part-time assistant coach.

Motley went on to become Northeastern’s Assistant Dean of Minority Affairs in 1982, Associate Dean and Director of the African American Institute in 1987, and Dean of Student Services in 1993, a position he held for 10 years prior to moving to UMass Boston. He would help coach the Northeastern University basketball program for 20 years, during which time he recruited numerous Pittsburgh players to the university, and helped lead the Huskies to seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament as an associate head coach. Following retirement from coaching, he served as president of Northeastern University’s Courtside Club.

University of Massachusetts Boston

Motley became chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston on July 1, 2007 following more than 30 years of experience in higher education administration. Today, he oversees a strategic planning initiative to enhance the university’s academic offerings and research enterprise, grow enrollment to meet the increasing demand for a well-educated workforce, and build the university as a resource of knowledge and public service. As the first African American chancellor of UMass Boston, which is considered the most diverse public university in New England, Motley has highlighted inclusion among its key missions.

Motley also is overseeing UMass Boston’s 25-year master plan to enhance the campus and improve its layout on Columbia Point. The project includes the construction of a new Integrated Sciences Complex,University Hall, and housing for students, as well as the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, which the late senator requested to be located on the UMass Boston campus next to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Motley was first hired by UMass Boston in 2003 as vice chancellor for student affairs. In 2004, he was named interim chancellor of the university after Jo Ann Gora departed for Ball State University, and he became a finalist for the permanent position. In 2005, UMass President Jack Wilson recommended Michael F. Collins, former chief executive of Caritas Christi Health System, for the permanent role, despite the support shown for Motley by many students, staff, faculty, and community leaders, including Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, a UMass Boston alumnus.

Motley went on to serve as vice president for business, marketing, and public affairs at the University of Massachusetts president’s office, citing his hope that UMass Boston would move forward from the controversy. Less than two years later, Wilson announced a leadership rotation; following the retirement of UMass Medical School Chancellor Aaron Lazere, Collins moved to UMass Medical School in Worcester to serve as interim chancellor, and Motley was ultimately named the eighth chancellor of UMass Boston. He is the first African American to serve as chancellor of UMass Boston.

Motley is married to Angela Motley and has three children, Keith Allyn, Kayla Iman, and Jordan Kiara.

Community Service and Honors

Motley is a founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and chair emeritus of the school’s Board of Trustees. He also is 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:

Motley also chairs the Boston Committee for the “Do the Write Thing Challenge,” an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.

He is former chair of the Newbury College Board of Trustees and 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 has chaired the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and is 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) and New England Association of Schools and Colleges. He is a member of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Effective Leadership, past chair of APLU’s Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence.

Motley has been named to the Boston Business Journal's list of Boston-area influencers five years in a row. In 2016, he was named to Colette Phillips Communications Get Konnected! 100 list of Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color. The Boston Business Journal also selected him to receive 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.