Shannon Gilkey, Ed.D. is the Rhode Island Commissioner of Postsecondary Education. Commissioner Gilkey is a strong proponent of postsecondary education as a springboard to meaningful careers that are essential for Rhode Islanders to increase their earnings and help business leaders sustain and grow the Rhode Island economy. He is committed to developing a robust talent pipeline that is well-educated and that is known to improve to the quality of our state and the New England region.
During his tenure, Rhode Island’s postsecondary attainment rate among working-age Rhode Islanders has risen 3.4% to 56.7% (the national average is 54.3%), and Rhode Island now ranks sixth in the nation for the highest rate of college-going individuals. The proportion of Rhode Islanders who are enrolled in college (5.24%) puts the Ocean State in the top 10 in the U.S. More Rhode Islanders who identify with underserved populations are attending college than ever before, which is helping to fill workforce gaps in key industries such as nursing, advanced maritime manufacturing, and information technology.
Commissioner Gilkey has worked with state leadership to position higher education as a critical investment for the state, helping secure a significant increase in Rhode Island postsecondary public funding. The FY2024 appropriation from all sources of funds is $65.5 million, representing a $21.7 million, or 49.4%, increase over the FY2023 final enacted budget. Financial aid highlights include additional funding for the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship, Fresh Start Scholarship, Hope Scholarship, and an $8.0 million appropriation for OPC’s RI Reconnect program.
Recently, he oversaw the passage of a seamless transfer policy for general education credits between CCRI and RIC, reducing student costs, eliminating redundancies and red tape, and improving efficiencies between RI’s public higher ed institutions.
Commissioner Gilkey has a broad range of experiences including more than 18 years of service in education, 13 of those in higher education with specific leadership in developing and leading implementation of institutional, state, and national initiatives. Past experiences include serving as vice chancellor of academics and workforce development at Kentucky’s 16 Community and Technical College System as well as serving in the key administrative positions at New York University.
Dr. Gilkey earned an Ed.D. in leadership, higher education from Western Kentucky University; an Ed.M. in higher and postsecondary education from Teachers College, Columbia University; an M.Sc. in education studies and higher education from University of Oxford, St. Peters College, Oxford; and a B.S. in agricultural science from Murray State University.
A member of the Governor’s cabinet, he also sits on the boards of the National Association of System Heads, the State Higher Ed Executive Officers Association, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Rhode Island Governor’s Workforce Board, the Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet, and the Rhode Island Governor’s Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence. A frequent lecturer and speaker, he has addressed the Lumina State Policy Convening; SHEEO, NASH, NEASC, AASCU, AACC College Readiness Commission, College Promise Campaign, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
