Dr. Kimberly Beatty came to Kansas City on July 1, 2017 when she accepted the position as Chancellor of Metropolitan Community College. A champion of access and equity, she is devoted to the community college mission of providing access to higher education for all. In addition to leadership positions in a number of Kansas City civic organizations, Dr. Beatty proudly serves as the Dean for the Thomas Lakin Institute, an Institute designed to build a pipeline of Black CEOs in community colleges.

Dr. Beatty came to Kansas City from Houston Community College, where she served as vice chancellor for instructional services and chief academic officer. She also held leadership positions at community colleges in California and Virginia, and was a tenured associate professor of English. 

Dr. Beatty has always been a dancer at heart. As a child, she took ballet and tap lessons. As an adult, one of her favorite pastimes is line dancing with friends. While Dr. Beatty has never danced at this level, she is excited about the opportunity, and more importantly, the cause. 

Dr. Beatty is the proud wife of Kelvin Beatty and mother to three sons: Ian, Michael, and Kelvin Jr. and grandmother to six grandsons.