Dr. Kathleen
Cleary

Dr. Kathleen Cleary recently retired from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio where she served as the Senior Vice President for Workforce Solutions.  She began her career in higher education teaching theatre at Clark State Community College and then moved to Sinclair, where she served as a full professor and Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. Dr. Cleary won multiple teaching excellence awards for her student-centered and outcome-focused approach to learning before moving to administrative and executive roles. 

Dr. Cleary has managed multiple local, state and national initiatives, beginning with the role of project director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Developmental Education Initiative, which transformed Sinclair’s approach to helping more students complete college-level math and English. She also led the Ohio cadre of Completion by Design as well as Strong Start to Finish, a consortium of 35 universities and community colleges in Ohio. She served as Sinclair’s Senior Vice President and Interim Provost, leading the division of instruction through the COVID pandemic. Dr. Cleary oversees Sinclair’s ongoing efforts to address workforce needs through customized training and work-based learning. She also oversees the college’s prison education program, serving over 2600 students a year in 16 prisons. Kathleen was honored by the Dayton Business Journal as a Power 50 awardee for most influential women in the Dayton and surrounding region.