Director of Institutional Research
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
An institutional research professional for 15 years, Kristin McKinley serves as the director of institutional research for Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisconsin). In this role, Kristin oversees a comprehensive institutional research strategy to advance student success connecting decision-makers with the data and information necessary to impacting institutional priorities and competitiveness. As a leader in institutional research and grant evaluation, Kristin’s philosophy is to create data-informed decision-making cultures by connecting and engaging stakeholders with data to catalyze change.
Kristin’s career in higher education began in 2010, when she joined Lawrence University to assist with federal grant evaluation for campus suicide prevention. In 2011 she was appointed research associate, promoted to associate director in 2012, and in 2015, named director of research administration overseeing efforts related to institutional research, student success, and grant program evaluation. Prior to these roles, she began her career as a mental health therapist.
Kristin is an active contributor to national and state-wide organizations and frequent presenter on student success, DEI, inclusive excellence, mental health, and sexual assault – recently publishing articles in New Directions for Institutional Research and Journal of College Science Teaching. She has served in several professional leadership service roles including the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium Board as chair and vice-chair; and previously, a member of the Association for Institutional Research’s (AIR) Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC).
She earned a Master of Science in clinical psychology from Augusta University (Georgia) in 1998 and a Bachelor of Science in biology and psychology from Mount Mercy University (Iowa) in 1995. Among her career honors was being named a 2017 Mount Mercy University Successful Alumna, the 2014 Mount Mercy University Distinguished Psychology Alumna, and a 2014 Julia M. Duckwall Professional Development Scholarship, awarded by AIR. Kristin holds several certifications and an Open Research and Contributor (ORCID) ID.
How to Work 24/7 (Without Working 24/7)
Thursday, May 22, 2025
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM East Coast USA Time