Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Vice President for Student Success and Inclusive Excellence
Education, Administration, Inclusive Excellence and Belonging
College of Education, Nursing and Health Professionskemorgan@hartford.edu 860.768.4220 CC 311
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Denver, Denver, CO
Master of Divinity, Concentration: Leadership, Cincinnati Christian University, Cincinnati, OH
Master of Ministry, Concentration: Leadership, Cincinnati Christian University, Cincinnati, OH
Bachelor of Science, Concentrations: International Relations, Spanish, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
Dr. K. Kayon Morgan serves as Vice President of Student Success and Inclusive Excellence and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership for Social Justice at the University of Hartford. A scholar-practitioner and higher education executive, she brings more than three decades of experience advancing student success, institutional effectiveness, and inclusive educational environments.
As Vice President, Dr. Morgan provides strategic leadership for student engagement, residential life, health and well-being, accessibility, campus safety, and civil rights compliance. Her work emphasizes student retention, persistence, institutional accountability, and organizational transformation.
Her executive leadership builds on extensive administrative experience preceding her transition into the professoriate. At the Denver College of Nursing, she directed clinical operations involving approximately 90 faculty and staff and coordinated more than 700 student placements quarterly. In previous leadership roles, she oversaw academic and student services, regulatory compliance, accreditation, and institutional operations, including programs across 12 campuses nationally. Her subsequent research and program leadership at the University of Denver further strengthened her expertise in organizational effectiveness and evidence-informed decision-making.
A first-generation scholar originally from Jamaica, Dr. Morgan is a Fulbright U.S. Global Scholar whose work extends to South Africa and Jamaica. Her teaching and research explore socially just educational leadership, decolonizing methodologies, institutional equity, and the experiences of historically marginalized communities. Her scholarship challenges deficit-based narratives and advances transformative approaches to education and belonging.
As an educator and mentor, Dr. Morgan has guided numerous doctoral students in producing original research addressing complex educational and societal challenges. She encourages emerging scholars to question conventional thinking, amplify underrepresented voices, and connect scholarship with meaningful change.
Across her leadership, scholarship, and service, Dr. Morgan is guided by a commitment to reimagine educational systems, cultivate authentic partnerships, and create environments where individuals are empowered to succeed and flourish.
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Abildgaard, C. & Morgan, K. (2026) Beyond Accommodation: Voice, Visibility, and Value as a Framework For Sensory-Friendly Environments in Higher Education. Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 21(1). Morgan, K. K. (2026). Am I Invisible? The chaotic bricolage of my racial identity. In M. John, C. Best, V. Buchanan, & K. Reid (Eds.), Shades of excellence: Stories from scholars of color. Lauren Simone Publishing House. Morgan, K. K. (2025). De/colonizing education research with lessons from the field. Feminist Pedagogy, 6(2), 6. Zhang, B. & Morgan, K. K. (2024). Strangers in the north: Critical narratives on post-graduation career transitions of international doctoral students. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20622 Morgan, T. L., Cieminski, A., Marmo, S., Morgan, K. (2024). The effect of the advocacy social-emotional learning program on emotional competence. International Journal of Changes in Education 1(1). https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewijce42022852 Morgan, K. K. (2023). College begins in kindergarten: A path to higher education through family-school partnerships in a K-5 school. Central European Journal of Educational Research, 5(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.37441/cejer/2023/5/2/13302 Morgan, K. K. & Morgan, T. L. (2023). A plea for connection: Could a faculty of color learning community be THAT space. In K. Rainville, D. Title, & C. Desrochers (Eds.), Faculty learning communities working towards a more equitable, just, and AntiRacist future in higher education Osorio-Saez, E. M., Eryilmaz, N., Hernandez, A. S., Lau, Y. Y., Barahona, E., Bhatti, A. A., ... & Zionts, A…Morgan, K. K. (2021). Survey data on the impact of COVID-19 on parental engagement across 23 countries. Data in Brief, 106813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.106813 |
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White, M., Morgan, K. K., & Morgan, T. L. (2023). Needing to be seen, longing to be heard: Empowering educators of color through affinity groups. In A. Wilkerson & S. Samuels (Eds.), Best practices and programmatic approaches for mentoring educational leaders. IGI Global. Lewis-Fokum, Y. & Morgan, K. K. (2022) Towards a framework of parental involvement and family engagement in Jamaica: A systematic review. In S. Stewart, S. Cole, & Y. Lewis-Fokum (Eds.), Each one, teach one: Parental involvement and family engagement in Jamaica’s education system. Kingston, JA: UWI Press. Morgan, T. L. & Morgan, K. K. (2021). Interculturally inclusive leadership: Transformative practices for educational equity. In R. Shankar-Brown (Ed.), Bending the arc towards justice: Equity-focused practices for educational leaders. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Morgan, K.K. (2019). Preparing students for the twenty-first century through family engagement in postsecondary and workforce readiness. In: Blackman, S., Conrad, D., Brown, L. (Eds.) Achieving inclusive education in the Caribbean and beyond. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15769-2_9 |
Abildgaard, C. & Morgan, K.K. (2026, May). Instilling Voice, Visibility and Value to Neurodiverse Students on the College Campus. Paper presented at the 41st Pacific RIM International Conference on Disability 2026, Hawaii, USA.
Morgan, K. K. & Morgan, T. L. (2024, July). A Plea for Connection: Could a Faculty of Color Learning Community be THAT Space. Paper presented at the British Educational Leadership, Management Administration Annual Conference 2024, UK.
Morgan, T. L., Cieminski, A. Morgan, K. K., Dockett-Smith, T. (2024, July). Critically reflexive Leadership development: Social equity axiology to structure the goals, strategies, and behaviors for meaningful change. Paper presented at the British Educational Leadership, Management Administration Annual Conference 2024, UK.
Morgan, T. L., Morgan, K. K. (2023, October). Too young, too gifted, too Black: Understanding media representations of academically advanced Black students. Paper presented at the Institute for Educational Administration and Leadership-Jamaica (IEAL-J) Conference 2023, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Morgan, T. L., Morgan, K. K., Cieminski, A., & Dockett-Wilson, T. (2023, October). Engaged reflexivity to develop critical transformative consciousness of privilege. Paper presented at the Institute for Educational Administration and Leadership-Jamaica (IEAL-J) Conference 2023, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Morgan, K. K. & Morgan, T. L. (2023, April). Newly Employed: The complex existence of faculty of color during the COVID-19 and racial pandemics. [Paper presentation]. American education Research Association (AERA) Conference, Chicago, United States.
Morgan, K. K. (2022, March). "Education is My Inheritance:" Funds of Knowledge as Transformation Educational Practice. Paper presented at the Oxford Education Research Symposium Virtual Conference, UK.
Morgan, T. L., Morgan, K. K., & Leith, L. (2021, November). Leadership for social-emotional learning in the rural context: Implementing sustainable change for holistic development of students. Paper presented at UCEA Conference 2021, Columbus, OH.
Morgan, T. L., & Morgan, K. K. (2021, November). Interculturally inclusive leadership: Transformative practices for educational equity. Paper presented at UCEA Conference 2021, Columbus, OH.
Morgan, K. K. (2021, July). Epistemologies of Ignorance: Activating Transformative and Socially-Just Educational Leaders. Paper presented at the Thinking Qualitatively Virtual Conference, Canada.
Morgan, K. K. (2021, July). Educating While Black: The Burnout Phenomenon of Discretionary Spaces During the COVID-19 & Racial Pandemics in the United States. Paper accepted at the British Educational Leadership, Management, & Administration Society Annual Virtual Conference 2021, UK.
Morgan, K. K. (2021, March). Engaging families through funds of knowledge. Whose culture is it anyway? Paper presented at the Institute for Educational Administration and Leadership-Jamaica (IEAL-J) Virtual Conference 2021, Kingston, Jamaica
Morgan, K. K. (2020, July). What says you? A critical policy analysis of family engagement in state level policies. Paper accepted at the British Educational Leadership, Management, & Administration Society Annual Conference 2020, UK. (Conference cancelled due to COVID-19).
Morgan, T. L & Morgan, K. K. (2020, July). There will always be hate, right?: A critical case analysis of public discourse about school based racism. Paper accepted at the British Educational Leadership, Management Administration Annual Conference 2020 ,UK. (Conference cancelled due to COVID-19).
Morgan, T. L., Cieminski. A. & Morgan, K. K., (2019, November). Everyday racial intolerance: An analysis of school leaders' statements on campus racial incidents. Paper presented at the Consortium for the Study of Leadership and Ethics in Education Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Morgan, K. K., Morgan, T. L., & Cieminski. A. (2019, November). The influence of leadership in developing and sustaining positive school culture: The impact of student curriculum on adult perceptions. Paper presented at the Consortium for the Study of Leadership and Ethics in Education Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Morgan, T. L., & Morgan, K. K. (2019, July). Ubuntu anchored educational leadership for supporting sustainable social change: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Paper presented at the British Educational Leadership, Management, & Administration Society Annual Conference 2019, Old Windsor, UK.
Morgan, K. K. (2019, July). Homeless students moving on: Using critical race theory to analyze the McKinney Vento Act Reauthorized January 2002. Paper presented at the British Educational Leadership, Management, & Administration Society Annual Conference 2019, Old Windsor, UK
Morgan, K. K. (2019, July). Leaving a mark: Single points of contact (SPOCS) working to connect k-12 unaccompanied homeless youth to college. Paper presented at the British Educational Leadership, Management Administration Annual Conference 2019, Old Windsor, UK
Morgan, T. L., Morgan, K. K. (2019, March). Epistemologies of Ignorance: Overcoming ideologies of deficit through cultural identity. Paper presented at the Institute for Educational Administration and Leadership-Jamaica (IEAL-J) Conference 2019, Kingston, Jamaica
Morgan, K. K. (2018, November). Is this a partnership or not? Family Engagement as an inclusive practice. Paper presented at the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) Conference 2018, Houston, TX.
Morgan, K. K. (2025, November). STEM without Borders. I have a Dream. What’s Yours? Keynote speaker for STEAM Train Annual Fundraising Gala. Middletown, CT.
Morgan, K. K (2025, March). Presence: Leading authentically in student affairs. Keynote speaker for NASPA Connecticut Annual Drive-In Conference. Hartford, CT.
Morgan, K. K. (2025, June). The Joy Imperative: Reclaiming Celebration in Justice Narratives. Keynote speaker for Wheeler Health Juneteenth Professional Development. Hartford, CT.
Morgan, K.K. (2025, February). Breaking the Fourth Wall: Using Place-Based Inquiry to Transform the Performing Arts. 2025 Center for Theatre, Dance and Performing Studies Research Colloquium. Applied and Pedagogical Practices in Dance and Theatre. University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Morgan, K. K. (2024, August). The magnolia effect: Growing justice and truth. 2024 Annual Interdisciplinary Anti-Racism Symposium. Creating anti-racist solutions: Planting seeds of justice. Sacred Heart University. Fairfield, CT
Zhang, B. & Morgan K. K, (2024, May). Strangers in the North: Critical narratives on the postgraduation career transitions of international doctoral students. 2024 International Colloquium. Socio-Emotional well-being: An exploration of international graduate student voices. ACPA College Students Educators International & The Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development. Virtual.
Morgan K. K, (2024, April). Radical re/imagination of justice through untold and unbridled narratives. Keynote. New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO) 2024 Conference. Portsmouth, NH.
- University of Denver Distinguished Alumni Award (May 2025)
- Fulbright US Global Scholar to South Africa and Jamaica (2024-2025)
- MLK Beloved Community Faculty Award, University of Hartford (2024)
- North Star Collective Faculty Fellow (2023)
- Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award (2018), American Education Research Association (AERA) Family, School, Community Partnership Special Interest Group