Dr. Kim Cliett Long is an internationally respected scholar, executive leader, and consultant whose work bridges education, public policy, cultural heritage, and global leadership. She currently serves as Project Administrator for the Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, where she advances scholarship, cultural preservation, and public engagement. Her inclusion in The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African American video oral-history archive housed at the Library of Congress, recognizes her as a significant leader in higher education and cultural stewardship.

Across her distinguished career, Dr. Long has held senior leadership and academic roles including Associate Provost for Administration and Extended Education, Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Design, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Project Manager, and Professor of Organizational Management. She has led large-scale institutional innovation initiatives, expanding online learning, instructional design, and classroom technology to improve access, equity, and academic quality. As director of the Center for Excellence in Distance Learning, she spearheaded a multi-institutional collaboration supporting historically Black colleges and universities, mentoring them in the development of high-quality, affordable online programs that strengthened institutional capacity and student success.

Dr. Long’s research and writing focus on educational and digital equity, organizational leadership, distance learning, public policy, and cultural and maritime history. Her scholarship is informed by extensive global travel to more than 219 port cities across Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Americas, deepening her expertise in the cultural and economic histories of coastal communities and global trade networks. Her work consistently integrates education, policy, and the arts to amplify underrepresented narratives and foster inclusive public understanding.

Beyond academia, Dr. Long’s leadership extends into civic, cultural, and philanthropic arenas. She has raised more than $25 million for arts, education, and children’s causes and has advised universities, corporations, nonprofits, and public institutions on curriculum development, faculty training, and strategic program design. Her consulting portfolio includes engagements with Oakwood University, Florida Memorial University, the Black AIDS Institute, the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute, Denny’s Inc., and multiple national and international education initiatives.

Dr. Long has received numerous honors recognizing her global impact, including the 2025 National History Award from The Black Women’s Agenda, the 2024 City of Charleston Proclamation establishing Dr. Kim Cliett Long Day, the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Education 2.0 Conference in Dubai, and the Presidential Lifetime Volunteer Service Award presented by President Joseph R. Biden. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal Society of Public Health, and the Royal Anthropological Institute under the patronage of King Charles of England, and she serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Board of National Museums Liverpool.

A prolific author and curator, Dr. Long has contributed extensively to books, academic journals, museum exhibitions, and global cultural platforms. Her work includes forthcoming and published titles on world trade, African American history, military women, cultural rituals, servant leadership, and maritime heritage, as well as curating traveling and permanent exhibitions that honor legacy, leadership, and cultural memory.

Dr. Kim Cliett Long’s career is defined by her ability to unite scholarship, leadership, and cultural preservation at the highest levels. Through education, policy, and the arts, she continues to shape institutions, influence global dialogue, and preserve the histories that define our shared humanity.