Kerry Walk

Kerry Walk is an American higher education leader and former college president. She has served as president of Marymount Manhattan College and the University of the Arts, and as interim president and provost of Otis College of Art and Design. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at Princeton University, Harvard University, and Pitzer College.^[1][2]

Kerry Walk
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Wellesley College (B.A.) University of California, Berkeley (M.A., Ph.D.)
Occupation	Academic administrator
Known for	President of Marymount Manhattan College; President of University of the Arts

Early life and education

Walk received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Wellesley College in 1983.^[3] She later earned a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley.^[4]

Career

Harvard University

Walk taught in the Expository Writing Program and served as Assistant Director of the Harvard Writing Project, a university-wide writing-in-the-disciplines initiative. She was also a researcher for the Harvard Study of Undergraduate Writing.^[5]

Princeton University

At Princeton University, Walk restructured and expanded the Princeton Writing Program, overseeing more than 100 interdisciplinary seminars and a writing center offering individual tutoring.^[6] She also collaborated with departments to integrate writing into the curriculum and developed a graduate program in scientific communication.^[7][8]

Pitzer College

Walk served as Associate Dean of Faculty at Pitzer College.^[9]

Otis College of Art and Design

At Otis College of Art and Design, Walk was Provost from 2011 to 2014 and Interim President from 2014 to 2015.^[10] During her tenure, the college completed an award-winning campus expansion supported by a capital campaign.^[11][12] She also led outreach around the annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy, including a documentary collaboration with PBS SoCal.^[13][14]

Marymount Manhattan College

Walk served as president of Marymount Manhattan College from 2015 to 2023.^[15][16] She secured the largest gift in the college’s history—US$25 million—and oversaw the construction of the Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts. ^[17][18] She also launched CityEdge, a grant-funded career program providing experiential learning opportunities in New York City,^[19][20] and expanded prison education initiatives supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.^[21][22]

University of the Arts

Walk became president of the University of the Arts on August 1, 2023.^[23] She emphasized multidisciplinary learning and civic engagement during her tenure.^[2] The university announced its closure in June 2024, citing an urgent financial crisis following several years of fiscal strain.^[24][25] Walk resigned shortly afterward, after ten months in office.^[26]