Leadership

Kristi Holsinger
Senior Vice Provost for Student Success

Senior Vice Provost for Student Success Dr. Kristi Holsinger leads UMKC in providing an exceptional experience for our students in their recruitment, enrollment, initial onboarding and learning. As senior vice provost, she helps ensure that UMKC achieves its goals for retention, persistence and timely degree completion in alignment with its mission as a public urban research university. Dr. Holsinger reports to the provost and executive vice chancellor, with a dotted reporting line to the chancellor. As an integral part of the provost's senior leadership team, she must work effectively across administrative and academic units within the university to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

The units, programs and services that report to this position include Enrollment Management (Office of Admissions, Office of the Registrar, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, UMKC Central and UMKC Connect), Undergraduate Academic Advising, Academic Support and Mentoring, Career Services, the Professional Career Escalators program, the KC Scholars program and the Bloch Scholars program.

Don Stansberry
Vice Provost of Student Affairs

Vice Provost for Student Affairs Dr. Don Stansberry provides strategic leadership for the Division of Student Affairs, advancing initiatives that foster engagement, well-being, and belonging. Working collaboratively across the university, he leads efforts to create an exceptional student experience through co-curricular learning, student support services, leadership development, and campus engagement.

The Division of Student Affairs includes Campus Recreation, Career Services, Counseling Services, Dean of Students, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Multicultural Student Affairs, Office of Student Involvement, Residential Life, Student Accessibility Services, Student Conduct and Civility, Student Health Services, Student Union and Event Services, Student Veteran Support Services, and the Women's Center, along with programs and services that support students from enrollment through graduation.

Todd Wells
Dean of Students

Kim McNeley
Vice Provost of Curriculum and Assessment and HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer

Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment Dr. Kim McNeley facilitates assessment and academic quality assurance for all levels of academic programming (undergraduate, graduate and professional), and serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for the Higher Learning Commission. She supports key, university-wide efforts through the work of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC), University Assessment Committee (UAC), Academic Review Committee (academic amnesty and retroactive withdrawal), Academic Policy Task Force, and Academic Innovation Committee (AIC).

The units and programs that report to this position include University College, General Education (UMKC Essentials and the MDHE Core 42), Undergraduate Research, Peer Academic Leadership (PALS), Honors program and high school pipeline programs (High School College Partnerships and Early College Academy). Additional administrative responsibilities include domestic articulation agreements coordination and tracking, UMKC Connect user-support and the adjudication of student academic misconduct and grade appeals.

Alex Holsinger
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Dr. Alex Holsinger provides leadership and support in faculty-related processes and procedures, including the campus-wide promotion and tenure processes, faculty evaluations, faculty awards, faculty hiring, and new faculty orientation, in addition to ensuring compliance with faculty-related policies, including the Standards of Faculty Conduct and the Academic Grievance Procedure. Additionally, this position facilitates faculty support and development initiatives provided through the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE).

Mark Daly
Director of International Affairs
Senior Internationalization Officer

Dr. Mark Daly provides strategic leadership for the university's global engagement and internationalization efforts, advancing opportunities for faculty and students through international partnerships, student mobility, and cross-cultural initiatives. The position oversees the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Study Abroad and Global Engagement (SAGE), and the Applied Language Institute (ALI). Working collaboratively across the university, this role enhances international student success, expands global opportunities, and advances the institution's international mission.

Rebecca Diemer
Director of Academic Affairs Strategic Initiatives

The Director of Academic Affairs Strategic Initiatives serves as a key strategic partner within the Office of the Provost, leading collaborative projects that advance institutional priorities across the division of Academic Affairs. The position supports the provost and helps coordinate cross-functional initiatives that support student success, academic innovation, operational effectiveness, and organizational change while fostering alignment among academic units, student support services, administrative departments, and external partners.

Working closely with university leadership, deans, vice provosts, faculty, and staff, the Director provides strategic project management for high-impact initiatives, including academic program development, policy implementation, accreditation and compliance efforts, student success initiatives, strategic planning, and institutional improvement projects. The role promotes collaboration across divisions, facilitates data-informed decision-making, and ensures that initiatives are effectively planned, implemented, assessed, and aligned with the university's mission and strategic goals.

Melvin J. Tanner
Director of University Analytics and Institutional Effectiveness and Chief Data Officer