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Ms. Kirkhope

Maya Ranchod Kirkhope, senior consultant, has worked in higher education for the past twenty years and specifically with presidents and governing boards for the past ten years.

Her most recent appointment was with the Association of Governing Boards where she was responsible for the leadership, management and marketing of the Association’s Board Education and Consulting Service. The portfolio of services offered included presidential search, presidential transition, presidential assessment, strategic planning and development. As Director of this service, Ms. Kirkhope was responsible for curriculum development, program assessment, consultant training and marketing. She was also involved in helping to shape AGB’s research agenda and other association initiatives. Ms. Kirkhope has an extensive knowledge of the culture of public and private higher education, academic governance, and good board management and practices at colleges and universities.

Ms. Kirkhope also provided a workshop service for presidents and governing boards, sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which dealt with issues related to institutional governance, mission and identity. She conducted in-depth interviews with presidents and board chairs to develop specialized workshops that addressed specific institutional needs, recruited and trained facilitators, and evaluated the effectiveness of this service for Catholic institutions.

Ms. Kirkhope worked for the Center for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa where she was responsible for developing the first governance project in the country. She developed governance literature, organized and conducted regional workshops that addressed governing board responsibilities, and worked toward strengthening relationships between presidents and boards. She was also responsible for managing a strategic planning project that developed national guidelines for three-year rolling plans.

Prior to her engagement with the Center for Higher Education Transformation, Ms. Kirkhope served as a senior planning officer for the executive vice president at Columbia University. She administered strategic projects within and across the university’s administrative departments, drafted subject briefings, and identified research trends in administrative practices and best practices at peer institutions.

Ms. Kirkhope earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in Education. She currently resides in Northern Virginia.