Charlene Reed

Vice President and University Secretary

Kent State University

Dr. Charlene Reed is vice president and university secretary at Kent State University, serving as secretary to the Board of Trustees and chief of staff to the President. She has more than 20 years of experience in the role of board secretary at Kent State University and the University of Akron in Ohio. Her responsibilities include strategy development and support, leadership team development and facilitation, board organization and operations, trustee recruitment and education, and senior-level searches. She joined Kent State in 2004.

Reed served as the 2013 national chair of the Board Professionals Leadership Group of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) and continues as a member of the group’s professional development committee. She presents nationally on wide-ranging topics including developing high-performing boards, presidential search and transition, shared governance, and the art of managing differences. She is the author of The Role of the Board Professional, published by AGB in 2017.

Reed also was the program coordinator and an assistant professor in the University of Akron’s graduate program in higher education administration, and served eight years as the College of Education’s assistant dean for administration and strategic initiatives. In this role, she was responsible for college finance, personnel, research grants, technology, and centers. Her professional activities included the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs, the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and the American Educational Research Association. She holds the Ph.D. in Education from The University of Akron.