UMGC Names Amy Stevens as Chief Academic Officer and Vice President of Global Academic Learning Enterprise

Adelphi, Md. - May 4, 2026 - University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has named Amy Stevens, a veteran academic executive and strategist, as chief academic officer and vice president of the university's Global Academic Learning Enterprise division. She begins her new position today.

At UMGC, Stevens will lead the institution's academic enterprise as a globally scaled, learner-centric, data-driven, skills-based, and AI-powered organization, ensuring academic quality and public trust while deliberately moving the institution beyond legacy academic structures, titles, and workflows.

"Today's academic leaders must protect rigor and public trust while also helping evolve how learning is designed, delivered, and sustained at scale," said UMGC President Gregory W. Fowler, PhD. "We were seeking individuals who understand academic quality deeply, can lead through complexity, and know how to align faculty expertise, academic governance, and learner experience around clear outcomes. As someone who is deeply familiar with Amy's work, I am pleased to welcome her to UMGC and confident that she will bring that combination of judgment, operational discipline, and learner focus to this critical role."

In her new role, Stevens will be responsible for academic product strategy, portfolio stewardship, faculty excellence, and academic legitimacy. A member of the university's senior executive team, reporting to Chief Learner Experience and Success Officer Angela Besendorfer, EdD, she will collaborate with fellow leaders to align academic authority, learner experience strategy and product execution.

"In a time of significant transformation at UMGC, assembling a leadership team that reflects a range of experiences is essential," Besendorfer said. "We're pleased to welcome Amy to the team and look forward to the contributions she will make as part of our continued progress."

Stevens brings more than 15 years of leadership in large-scale academic transformations. Most recently, she served as vice chancellor of global experiential programs at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. In that role, she was responsible for rebuilding and leading Northeastern's global learning division during rapid expansion across campuses in London, Oakland, Seattle, New York, and partner sites across Europe.

Before joining Northeastern, Stevens spent more than a decade in progressively elevated leadership roles at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in Manchester, N.H., most recently as vice president of academic resources and technology. At SNHU, she led a dynamic portfolio of academic operations and strategic initiatives that helped drive a 2,000-percent increase in enrollments.

"I've long admired UMGC's history and mission, and I'm eager to build on that foundation in ways that keep academic quality, learner experience, and real-world relevance clearly connected for the students we serve," Stevens said. "As technology and the nature of work continue to evolve, our responsibility is to ensure that learning keeps pace thoughtfully and with rigor, so that students are prepared to move forward with confidence and to contribute meaningfully in the workplaces and communities they serve."

In earlier roles, Stevens held a series of leadership roles in instructional technology and faculty development focused on online learning and academic effectiveness. She began her career in financial technology, developing real-time analytic systems for investment research.

She holds a bachelor's degree in history and women's studies from William Smith College, a master's in teaching with technology from Marlboro College Graduate Center, an MFA in creative writing from SNHU, and completed doctoral coursework and dissertation research in history at Boston College.

About University of Maryland Global Campus

University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland and continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide and more than 100 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit https://www.umgc.edu.

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