Shannon Tinney Lichtinger, Director Institutional Research

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Tinney Lichtinger as Director of Institutional Research in the Office of Institutional Research, Analysis and Decision Support (IRADS), effective July 21, 2022. Shannon began her career at UMBC in 2005 as a research analyst in what was then the Office of Institutional Research (OIR). During her time in OIR, she developed a reputation as a strong researcher and collaborator across campus and was lauded for the meticulous nature of her work. She left to  pursue leadership opportunities in institutional research, planning, and development at other institutions in Maryland in 2008. Shannon returned to UMBC and IRADS in spring 2019, bringing a wealth of experience gained in private and community college settings. Since 2019, she has become an integral part of the IRADS team, taking the lead or a significant role in multiple areas across the unit that support the IRADS strategic mission, as well as that of the university.

In her new position, Shannon assumes leadership responsibility for all institutional research (IR) functions in IRADS, and has a key role in department strategic planning and administration, working closely with the Associate Vice Provost of IRADS.  She represents IRADS, both internally and externally, chairing or serving on a wide range of university committees and workgroups. In addition to overseeing IR staff, Shannon also assumes the role of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Portal Delegate, with responsibility for campus annual reporting.

Shannon earned a B.A. from McDaniel College and an M.A. from the University of Georgia (both in Sociology), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Institutional Research from Pennsylvania State University’s Education Policy Studies program in Higher Education. She is a trained Middle States evaluator and completed the Society for College and University Planning’s (SCUP) Planning Institute. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy at UMBC. Shannon was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at McDaniel and into Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Georgia.

Shannon also engages in an impressive amount of professional and service activities. She has developed a strong reputation in the IR community, having served in various roles on the executive boards of both the Maryland Association for Institutional Research and the Northeast Association of Institutional Research (NEAIR), most recently serving as president of NEAIR from 2019-2021. At the national level she consistently volunteers with the Association of Institutional Research, and she regularly mentors students as well as newcomer and mid-career IR professionals. From 2021 to the present, she has served on the Scholarship Committee of the USM Women’s Forum, and has been the secretary for our campus chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Chapter 22 UMB-UMBC.

Please join us in congratulating Shannon Tinney Lichtinger on this appointment and wishing her continued success in her new role at UMBC.

Antonio Moreira, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Constance Pierson, Associate Vice Provost for IRADS