Dr. Keisha Griffin, Ed.D.
Twenty years across higher education, government, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, community health, and grant administration — and a research practice that keeps the work grounded in evidence.
- Ed.D., Educational Leadership — Saint Peter’s University
- MPA, Nonprofit Management — Keller Graduate School of Management
- Certificate, Innovative Leadership in Public Administration — Georgetown University
- Women in Higher Education Leadership — Harvard Graduate School of Education
Connecting people, institutions, and policy
Dr. Keisha Griffin is a higher education executive, applied researcher, educator, and public-policy practitioner with more than 20 years of experience spanning higher education, government, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, community health, and grant administration.
As Senior Operations Manager for External Affairs and the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University, she provides strategic leadership for public-policy research, government relations, community engagement, and university–community partnerships. Her work connects people, institutions, and policy to strengthen communities and create measurable public impact.
Dr. Griffin also serves as Founder and Principal Consultant of Steele Consulting Services, where she helps higher education institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community-based organizations build capacity, improve operations, manage grants, evaluate programs, and translate ideas into sustainable results.
Executive and professional practice
She directs high-level policy research and strategic initiatives supporting the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, the Governor’s Office, municipal leaders, and cross-sector partners, and oversees the full research-administration lifecycle for a multimillion-dollar portfolio of federal, state, philanthropic, and institutionally funded grants and initiatives.
Her responsibilities include cultivating executive partnerships, leading interdisciplinary teams, translating complex policy information, developing statewide forums and leadership summits, and advancing experiential learning and community-engaged initiatives.
Education and executive development
Education
- 2024Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership
Saint Peter’s UniversityDissertation: Navigating the Virtual Community — Understanding and Enhancing Belonging in Online Learning Environments Through Graduate Student Perspectives.
- 2011Master of Public Administration, Nonprofit Management
Keller Graduate School of Management - 1995Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
Montclair State University
Executive & Professional Development
- 2026Certificate, Innovative Leadership in Public Administration
Georgetown University - 2025Women in Higher Education Leadership Program
Harvard Graduate School of Education - 2019Certificate in Enrollment Management
Ruffalo Noel Levitz at Bay Path University - 2016Trainer / Coach Certification
The John Maxwell Team
Professional and executive experience
- 2021–Present
Senior Operations Manager
Kean University — External Affairs & the John S. Watson InstituteExecutive leadership and strategic oversight for the University’s public-policy, applied-research, government-relations, and community-engagement priorities. Directs policy research supporting the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, the Governor’s Office, and government partners, and oversees the full research-administration lifecycle of a multimillion-dollar grant portfolio.
- 2026–Present
Founder & Principal Consultant
Steele Consulting ServicesStrategic consulting in organizational operations, grant development, post-award compliance, program evaluation, applied research, and public-policy analysis for institutions, agencies, and community-based organizations.
- 2020–2021
Managing Assistant Director / Office Manager
Kean University — School of Social SciencesAcademic operations, administrative systems, budget coordination, and student engagement.
- 2018–2020
Senior Business Analyst
The College of New Jersey — Office of Records and RegistrationAcademic systems, graduation audits, regulatory compliance, and institutional reporting.
- 2013–2018
Associate Director, Advising, Career and Transfer Services
Union County CollegeMulti-campus advising, career development, and student-success initiatives supporting retention, persistence, transfer, and degree completion.
- 2013–2016
Grant Site Coordinator, Practical Nursing
Union County CollegeLocal implementation and compliance for federally funded workforce-development and healthcare-education grants supported by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.
- 2011–2015
Community Connections Coordinator
YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South AmboyRegional implementation of the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program and related community-health initiatives.
- 2008–2011
Director of Wellbeing and Membership
The Gateway Family YMCABranch operations, membership strategy, communications, marketing, program delivery, and staff supervision.
- 2002–2008
Program Analyst
County of Union — Division of Workforce Development / One-Stop Career ServicesPublicly funded workforce programs: program administration, regulatory compliance, data analysis, and performance reporting.
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A collaborative research practice
Dr. Griffin’s research sits at the intersection of higher education, urban policy, community engagement, institutional leadership, and public impact. She approaches research as a collaborative practice that brings together academic inquiry, community knowledge, government leadership, and evidence-informed policy.
Areas of scholarly and professional interest
- Student belonging, persistence, retention, and engagement
- Civic engagement and community-engaged scholarship
- Urban policy and municipal leadership
- “Third space” placemaking for youth
- AI governance and institutional capture risk
Current and recent research
AI Governance and Risk Project — Research Team Member
Mixed-methods comparative research on AI governance and systemic capture risk across 16 countries (2012–2024), applying the AI Capture Diagnostic Framework to assess institutional resilience, governance structures, crisis conditions, transparency, accountability, and capture vulnerability.
Coalport Revitalization Project — Principal Investigator / Project Manager
Applied research and community engagement focused on neighborhood revitalization, youth engagement, civic infrastructure, community-informed development, and public policy implementation.
Maternal Infant Health Project — Co-Principal Investigator
Research and engagement addressing maternal and infant health disparities, equity-focused policy solutions, stakeholder participation, and public health policy.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Project — Co-Principal Investigator
Research and engagement addressing storytelling for a select cohort of RWJF grantees.
Funded grants
Dr. Griffin has contributed to the development, leadership, and administration of a sponsored-project portfolio totaling approximately $4.5 million from federal, state, and philanthropic funders — serving as principal investigator, co-investigator, project manager, contributing writer, and research administrator. Her experience encompasses the full grant lifecycle, from proposal development and research design through implementation, fiscal oversight, regulatory compliance, partnership coordination, performance monitoring, reporting, and closeout.
Coalport Neighborhood Revitalization and Facility Redevelopment
Contributing writer and research administrator. Grant No. B-26-CP-NJ-1425. Congressional sponsor: Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Coalport Revitalization Planning Project
Research administrator. Oversight for implementation, federal compliance, fiscal coordination, performance monitoring, institutional collaboration, reporting, and closeout.
MCH Project
Contributing writer, research administrator, co-investigator, and project manager. Phase I $250,000; Phase II $300,000; Phase III $325,000.
Partnership Project
Research administrator. Implementation, fiscal management, compliance, institutional coordination, performance monitoring, reporting, and closeout.
Enhancing the capacity of N.J. community organizations to explain the impact of harmful policies on vulnerable communities
Contributed to proposal development; provided project leadership, research administration, implementation oversight, partner coordination, fiscal monitoring, compliance management, and grant reporting.
Urban Communities Access to Disability Resources
Research administrator. Program implementation, fiscal management, state compliance, performance monitoring, institutional coordination, reporting, and closeout.
The New Jersey Environmental Action and Literacy Hub
Research administrator. Implementation, fiscal coordination, subaward compliance, performance monitoring, institutional collaboration, and reporting.
Grants in development
Youth-Centered Third Spaces and Community Safety in New Jersey
Principal investigator and contributing writer. Leads the research agenda, study design, interdisciplinary team, municipal partnerships, and dissemination strategy for a causal research proposal spanning participating NJUMA municipalities.
Hillside Recreation Project
Contributing writer. Proposal development, project narrative, community-need documentation, program design, anticipated outcomes, and alignment with federal funding priorities.
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Publications and scholarly work
Navigating the virtual community: Understanding and enhancing belonging in online learning environments through graduate student perspectives
A comparative analysis of AI governance policy and diagnosing capture risk
Conference presentation, March 30–April 1, 2025. Manuscript in preparation.
Policing and Public Safety Community Conversations Retrospective
Her broader public scholarship includes policy analysis, educational presentations, facilitated community conversations, executive briefings, and publications designed to make complex research and policy issues accessible to municipal leaders and community stakeholders.
In the classroom and in print
Teaching
Dr. Griffin is an adjunct instructor at Kean University, teaching Civic Engagement (PA 1001) in the College of Business and Public Management and Transition to Kean (GE 1000) in the Division of General Education and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Her teaching emphasizes active learning, civic participation, public-policy practice, student belonging, career readiness, and community engagement. She connects classroom instruction with field experiences, public leaders, community organizations, and real-world policy issues so students can understand how their knowledge and voices contribute to public life.
Editorial leadership
As Editor of Urban Mayors Press — the official publication of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association — Dr. Griffin provides editorial vision and strategic direction for content highlighting municipal innovation, urban policy priorities, promising practices, and issues affecting New Jersey’s cities.
Working with elected officials, policy experts, government partners, and contributing authors, she commissions and edits policy commentaries, executive interviews, municipal profiles, and special features, and maintains the repository of past editions in the University Digital Commons.
Appointments, service, and affiliations
NJUMA Representative, Countywide Shared Services Partnership Initiative
Editor, Urban Mayors Press
Lead, Steering Committee for Working Group 1 — Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Initiative
Member, Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Taskforce
Board Member, NJ ACE Women’s Network
Graduate, Executive Leadership Institute
Member, National Council of University Research Administrators
Co-Chair, National Pan-Hellenic Committee, Central Jersey Alumnae Chapter
Work with Dr. Griffin
Through Steele Consulting Services, Dr. Griffin partners with organizations seeking practical strategies, stronger systems, and sustainable results.