President’s Office
Kerry Walk, Ph.D., is the eighth president of Marymount Manhattan College.
President Walk is a champion of student learning and success, with more than twenty-five years of experience as a higher education leader. Melding the liberal arts and sciences with the creative and performing arts, her academic and professional background fits well with the diverse and contemporary educational offerings at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC), a coeducational, nonsectarian college on New York City’s Upper East Side.
Since taking office on July 1, 2015, President Walk has opened a new residence hall, in the Cooper Square neighborhood of the East Village; overseen record-breaking enrollment—of more than 2,000 students from around the globe; established a signature initiative—CityEdge—a distinctive college-to-career program that immerses students in New York City’s educational and professional landscape; founded a summer and weekend educational institute for precollege, college, and adult learners; and launched a new four-year strategic plan.
Before taking office on July 1, 2015, Dr. Walk served as provost (2011-14) and interim president (2014-15) of Otis College of Art and Design, in Los Angeles, where she advanced the institution through successful enrollment and fundraising efforts, a transformative campus expansion project, and a new strategic plan. Prior to joining Otis, Dr. Walk held academic leadership positions at Harvard University (1993-2001), Princeton University (2001-09), and Pitzer College (2009-11), one of The Claremont Colleges. At Princeton, she built and directed the acclaimed interdisciplinary Princeton Writing Program, and at Pitzer she spearheaded successful strategic planning and reaccreditation efforts.
Kerry Walk earned her B.A. in English with honors at Wellesley College, where she received the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her contributions to campus life through theatre. She earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing her studies on English Renaissance literature and the Victorian novel.