Congratulating Lisa Akchin on Her Retirement

Dear Colleagues,

Please join me in congratulating Lisa Akchin, Associate Vice President of Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement, who has informed me of her decision to retire from UMBC and explore other opportunities at the end of this calendar year. Lisa joined UMBC 28 years ago, and throughout that time has contributed to the remarkable trajectory of this university in myriad ways. She has married her deep subject matter expertise in communications and marketing with institutional knowledge, a keen and analytical mind, and unimpeachable integrity to help us find the words, images, and ideas that help people understand the excellence that is UMBC.

Lisa joined UMBC in 1994, and got to work helping to rebuild the university's Office of Institutional Advancement. Initially focused on marketing and communications, her portfolio has expanded dramatically throughout her tenure at UMBC, and she has played a critical role in many of the university's milestone accomplishments. She has led the way in developing marketing and messaging that have positioned UMBC as both a selective and diverse public campus of choice. She facilitated the campus adoption of the Welcome to Our Community of Inquiring Minds brand update, and has been a co-leader in optimizing enrollment marketing communications through a common CRM and branded digital advertising campaigns.

Lisa helped build the case for support for UMBC's three comprehensive fundraising campaigns, and strategically designed milestone anniversaries that enabled us to achieve new levels of recognition, campus pride, and alumni engagement. She also guided development of the award-winning UMBC Magazine. She partnered with the President's Office and the Provost's Office to deftly develop and execute campus retreats and built an engaging campus participation platform for the 2015 strategic plan, Our UMBC: A Strategic Plan for Advancing Excellence. Finally, she has advocated for increased State investment in UMBC's distinctive contributions to State workforce and economic development, and worked to strengthen ties to UMBC's surrounding communities. 

At UMBC, Lisa has served as a member of the President's Council and the Strategic Enrollment Plan Implementation Committee and as the President's Liaison to the University Steering Committee. She also chairs the university's Brand and Enrollment Marketing Executive Team and the Crisis Communications Team and co-chairs the Campus Climate Coordinating Group and UMBC Neighbor Relations Group. She is well known for her deep commitment to social justice in Baltimore, having served two terms on the Baltimore City Public Schools Board of School Commissioners, as well as board service with the Baltimore Collegetown Network and the Citizens Planning and Housing Association. 

Details will be forthcoming about an event that Institutional Advancement will host to celebrate and thank Lisa for her contributions to UMBC. We will also share information about how we will transition Lisa's many responsibilities. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Lisa for all that she has done for UMBC.

Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement