Kelley Bishop has been named the George Washington University’s new associate vice provost for university career services in the Division of Enrollment and Student Success. His appointment follows a national search with a campus-wide interview process. Bishop will join GW on July 18.
Bishop has devoted his career to building innovative and inclusive university career services and student development programs. He has more than 25 years of leadership experience at exceptional research universities, including the University of Maryland, Michigan State University and Syracuse University. At GW, Mr. Bishop will provide strategic leadership, team development and direct oversight of the university's career services for students, alumni and employers.
Bishop is nationally recognized for his thought leadership in the profession, strong relationship management, innovative programming, academic integration and collaborative partnerships.
"We are fortunate to have Mr. Bishop lead this strategic priority given his strong grasp of the employment landscape,” said Jay W. Goff, vice provost for enrollment and student success. “His extensive insights for aligning career development within academic programs, specialized employer services and students' professional growth opportunities will undoubtedly serve the GW community extremely well."
Bishop comes to the George Washington University from the University of Maryland, where he has served as director of the University Career Center and The President’s Promise Program since August 2013 and as interim assistant vice president for student affairs since January 2022.
Bishop's contributions at Maryland include creating a distributed service delivery model partnership between six of the university’s schools and colleges, as well as a diversity, equity and inclusion partners group and a student-led board. In addition, he spearheaded development of a credit-bearing, online, asynchronous course, PSYC 123: The Psychology of Getting Hired, that annually introduces 600-plus students to fundamental career and job search concepts. He also led the initiative to purchase a campus-wide electronic portfolio platform, now utilized in numerous academic departments and co-curricular programs.
Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Bishop served as assistant vice president for Michigan State University’s Division of Student Affairs, where he managed an initiative designed to improve first-year students' transition to college. From 2001 to 2011, he served as MSU's executive director of career services, which spanned nine schools and colleges.
Before joining Michigan State, Bishop served as director of the Center for Career Services at Syracuse University; assistant director for external relations and recruiting at Indiana University's Arts and Science Placement Office; and recruiting coordinator for career and employment services at Dartmouth College. In addition, he has served on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) board of directors, numerous NACE committees, and was a founding member of the HireBig10Plus Consortium.
"I was drawn to the George Washington University because of its rich history, tradition of academic excellence, and strong commitment to diversity, equity and community,” said Bishop. “I am extremely excited about working with GW's well-developed and seasoned career services team. It is an honor to join this great university and have the opportunity to build on their strong tradition of fostering high levels of student and career success.”
Bishop has a master’s degree in counseling from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Dartmouth College. His personal interests include woodworking, rock climbing, lacrosse, and Scottish and Irish music.