Kimberly Young has been named associate provost for Career and Workforce at the University of Mary Washington. The announcement was made Tuesday by Interim Provost Tim O’Donnell in an e-mail to the campus community.

For nearly five years, Young has served as UMW’s executive director of Continuing and Professional Studies, a role in which she has forged relationships across the region and around the Commonwealth. As associate provost, she will now also assume responsibility for the Center for Career and Professional Development.

“This move is strategic,” O’Donnell said. “As a University, we need to leverage the connections Young has made in order to create opportunities for our students to prepare for life and careers after Mary Washington. This will give students greater opportunities to pursue internships and other applied employment-based learning experiences while also meeting regional and statewide workforce needs.”

Young will focus on creating innovative partnerships that will lead to meaningful work experiences through which Mary Washington students can apply their academic knowledge and critical thinking skills.

“We want employers to know that our students – with their high-quality liberal arts and sciences background – are prepared to excel in the workforce upon graduation and to grow as leaders in their communities well into the future,” said UMW President Troy Paino.

Young added: “As an academic institution guided by the principles of critical thinking and the fearless exploration of knowledge, we are obligated to prepare our students to lead in life and in work.”

Young has more than two decades of industry and academic experience. Prior to joining UMW, she was at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she oversaw the Executive MBA program and established the Executive Education Center. She was responsible for key collaborative relationships including an extensive multi-year partnership with a global healthcare organization.

Previously, Young worked for ARAMARK and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. Her clients included global organizations, such as Coca-Cola Company, Eli Lilly, 3M Corp., Boeing and Garmin.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy studies from Duke University and both an MBA and a master of management degree in hospitality from Cornell University. She is actively involved in the Fredericksburg region, serving on the Mary Washington Healthcare Citizens Council, the GO Virginia Region 6 Council, and as chair of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Board of Trustees. She is also a senior fellow of the Institute for Learning Innovation, a teaching fellow for Leadership Fredericksburg, co-chair of the UMW Women’s Leadership Colloquium and a member of the Links Inc.