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Bridget Burns      

Higher Education Innovator & CEO at University Innovation Alliance

Named one of the “Most Innovative People in Higher Education” by Washington Monthly magazine, Dr. Bridget Burns is an innovation, collaboration and student success expert, presidential advisor and CEO. Her work has been highlighted in national outlets like The New York Times, Fast Company and "60 Minutes;" additionally, she was featured in the 2019 documentary “Unlikely” about America's college dropout crisis and the barriers students face in their pursuit of a college degree and meaningful career.

From growing up with humble origins in a low-income family in rural Montana to serving as a trusted advisor to more than 40 college presidents, Dr. Burns is on a mission to transform the way higher education thinks about innovation and change, and takes action to serve low-income, first generation, and students of color.

She is the founding CEO of the award-winning University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a multi-campus laboratory for student success innovation focused on dramatically increasing the number and diversity of college graduates through testing, scaling and implementing innovative practices. Founded in 2014, the UIA campuses have achieved massive change for their nearly half a million students, producing 143,000 more graduates than originally expected -- and adding 41% more low-income graduates and 89% more graduates of color along the way.

Dr. Burns' conversational style melds storytelling, standup comedy, practical tools, and candid insights leaving audiences inspired and motivated to drive change regardless of where they sit on the org chart.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Burns received her Doctorate of Education from Vanderbilt University in Higher Education, Leadership & Policy.

Speech Topics

Transforming Higher Education Around Student Success

Dr. Bridget Burns will draw upon her extensive experience working across the most innovative universities in higher education, helping you clarify what to focus on, the key questions your institution needs to ask, and the first steps you should take. This keynote session will not only leave you energized to begin implementing new strategies, it will give you the tools you need to roll up your sleeves and begin the work.

You’ll learn how to: 

  • Create the time, space and structure for innovation
  • Sustainably support student-centered transformation
  • Start small and scale your efforts to create massive change without overwhelm
  • Surface key questions to support a more innovative culture on your campus

Innovating Higher Education for the New Normal

  • Leveraging proven tactics to enable sustainable innovation and progress (despite burnout and a rapidly changing context).
  • How higher education can shift and adapt to meet the needs of new majority learners, adult learners, and the students of the future.
  • The key questions institutions should be asking themselves to navigate, survive, and lead in the new normal.
  • Reimagining higher education to meet the needs of future learners in the new normal (flexible, bite sized, and digitally enabled).

How Higher Education Can Thrive in the Future of Higher Education

Leading Innovation & Change (No Matter Where You Sit on the Org Chart)

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