The Board of Directors of the Akron Art Museum has appointed Mitchell S. McKinney, Ph.D. to the Board of Directors. His tenure will begin at the January 25 Board Meeting.
McKinney is dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Akron. Prior to working at the University of Akron, McKinney held numerous academic leadership positions at the University of Missouri, including director of graduate studies, associate department chair, and chair of the Department of Communication. McKinney also taught at the University of Oklahoma, the University of Kansas, Johnson County Community College, Missouri Southern State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, McKinney is a renowned political communication scholar who has been recognized as one of the nation’s top scholars of presidential debates.
Board President Rose Andrews stated, “We are excited to bring Dr. McKinney onto the Museum’s Board. His background in education and politics will provide a new perspective to the organization, and we’re looking forward to furthering our connection with the University of Akron.”
McKinney has also held positions in the U.S. Senate and at the White House. He also served as associate director of the National Communication Association in Washington, D.C., and as president of the Central States Communication Association. McKinney remains a frequent commentator for national and international news media and has provided expert political commentary for the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN, C-SPAN, NPR, and BBC News. He has served as a moderator for gubernatorial and congressional televised debates and consulted with numerous civic organizations in planning state and local candidate debates and forums.
McKinney earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and two Bachelor of Art degrees in Speech Communication and Government from Western Kentucky University. Currently, he resides in the Akron area with his partner Bryan Pepper.
