About the Chancellor
Meet Kelly Ryan
Dr. Kelly Ryan became interim chancellor of IU Southeast in July 2022, becoming the eighth chancellor and fourth woman chancellor to serve the campus.
Ryan began her career at IU Southeast in 2007 as Assistant Professor of History and was named Professor in 2019. In 2020, Ryan became the chief academic officer as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs where she had oversight over the university’s quality and development of all academic and noncredit programs, the university’s accreditation process and the recruitment, evaluation, promotion and tenure of faculty and other academic personnel.
Prior to that role, Ryan served as Coordinator of the Gender and Women’s Studies program from 2011-2013, Coordinator of the History department from 2014-1016, and Dean of the School of Social Sciences from 2016-2020.
Among other accolades, she has received the IU Trustees Teaching Award four times, as well as the Indiana Zeta Honored Professor Award.
Ryan holds three degrees in History, a BA from George Mason University, an MA from Boston College, and a PhD from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining IU Southeast, Ryan was a lecturer in the department of history at the University of Maryland in College Park.
Ryan has published widely in the field of Early American history, and has authored two books, including Everyday Crimes: Social Violence and Civil Rights in Early America (2019). She has also lent her expertise on colonial America to The Learning Channel’s popular genealogy program, Who Do You Think You Are?.
Ryan has a stellar record of meaningful service to Indiana University and IU Southeast, including membership in the IU Regional Campus Cabinet and the Vision 2030 Task Force organized by the IU Office of the Vice-President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs.
Beyond her academic pursuits and publishing Ryan has served as a volunteer with the Homeless Coalition in New Albany, IN, and on the Academic Advisory Board for the Frazier International Museum of History in Louisville, KY.
Dr. Ryan grew up as the daughter of a military officer and thus spent her youth living in many locations, including Maryland, Maine, Florida, Virginia, California and Hawaii. She and her husband, Adam, live in Louisville and enjoy hiking, biking, movies, and all the wonderful restaurants in Louisville and Southern Indiana.
