Montgomery College’s New Vice President for the Future of Work and Economic Mobility Connects Education to Opportunity

For Dr. Kimberly Myers, it is impossible to separate economic mobility from the future of work.

As Montgomery College’s inaugural vice president in this area, she is focused on strengthening connections between higher education and the community—and ensuring those connections translate into meaningful opportunities for students.

“The most important thing that really grabbed my attention was the vision for the role, the vision for what I think higher education—community colleges in particular—can and should provide for the learner experience,” Dr. Myers explained. “And that is a focused and strategic alignment between what is going on at the College and what is happening in business, industry and the community around us.”

Dr. Myers joined Montgomery College in late July following a competitive national search, and will serve as a senior academic leader and advisor working across the Academic Affairs Division. In collaboration with the provost, campus deans, academic leadership, faculty and cross-divisional partners, she will aim to strengthen programmatic and operational alignment, expand relationships with employers and industry and advance pathways that connect students with evolving workforce needs. 

Before her arrival at Montgomery College, Dr. Myers served as dean of workforce solutions at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College since 2017. During her tenure, she grew the college’s workforce training portfolio from $150,000 to $2 million and built strategic partnerships with more than 100 employers and community partners. Her work included expanding employer engagement, workforce pathways and regional talent development initiatives while aligning credit, non-credit and employer-connected programming with regional workforce and economic mobility priorities.

That experience will inform her new role as she looks across existing programs, resources and relationships to identify ways that Montgomery College can respond more effectively to the needs of students, employers and the region. That work, she says, begins with listening.

“Building relationships is my superpower, and I’m excited to get out into the community, network and engage our partners to understand their needs and how we can best serve them,” Dr. Myers said. “This is absolutely necessary to make sure we’re providing the best possible opportunities for our students.”

Her approach mirrors the changing expectations facing higher education and employers alike. As industries evolve, students need pathways that can adapt with them—whether they are taking a single course, earning a certificate, completing a degree or preparing for their next step in an established career.

“We’ve got to ensure that all students—whether they’re taking a class, getting a certificate or earning a degree—have an opportunity for something better,” Dr. Myers added.

The creation of the vice president for the future of work and economic mobility role reflects Montgomery College’s efforts to strategically align its resources with the changing needs of students and the region. It also advances the institution’s broader focus on its transformational aspiration of post-completion success and its commitment to helping students translate their education into opportunities beyond the College.

“Every student deserves a clear pathway from education to opportunity to success. That requires us to remove barriers and create those impactful and inclusive pathways,” said Montgomery College President Jermaine F. Williams. “Dr. Myers brings the experience and vision to help us build stronger connections among education, business and industry so that we can create more effective pathways to economic mobility. Her work will be centered on bettering the lives of our students and residents and expanding what is possible.”

In addition to her higher education experience, Dr. Myers served as regional vice president at Primerica, Inc., building and leading a multi-office financial services organization responsible for operations, compliance and revenue growth. She earned a bachelor of arts and a master of science in mathematics from Western Kentucky University, and a doctor of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Cincinnati.