John D. Keenan Biography
John D. Keenan has served as 缅北禁地鈥檚 14th president since 2017 and is passionate about expanding opportunities for students and the region. Under his leadership, much has been achieved to advance the institution, respond to student interests and workforce demands, and make higher education more accessible to all.
During his tenure, the university received the national Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, recognizing the work that makes 缅北禁地 the Commonwealth鈥檚 Civic Engagement University, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation, a prestigious international accreditation that places the university鈥檚 Bertolon School of Business among five percent of business schools worldwide. Recognizing the changing demographics on the North Shore, the state and the country, President Keenan also paved the way for the university to become a Hispanic Serving Institution, by providing resources for planning and creating the first professional position on a Massachusetts state university campus to focus on this work.
President Keenan has led successful efforts to grow philanthropic support for 缅北禁地, including twice breaking the record for receiving the largest cash gift in Massachusetts state university history, the first to name the McKeown School of Education and the second to remove financial barriers for future educators and healthcare professionals enrolled at the university. In addition, he secured a $30 million commitment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to advance SSU BOLD: A Campus Unification and Modernization Project, which is a major capital project that will transform the university鈥檚 campus and provide state-of-the-art learning spaces for the university鈥檚 STEM and human services fields.
Setting the example of being civically engaged, President Keenan is immediate past chair of the Council of Presidents, representing the nine Massachusetts state universities; chair of the Northeast Consortium of Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (NECCUM); president of The Salem Partnership; chair of the Life Sciences Consortium of the North Shore; and a member of the Board of Directors for the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and the New England Council. He also led two New England Commission of Higher Education accreditation teams and represents the State University System on the Massachusetts Higher Education Capital Working Group, which is leading efforts to identify new sources of funding to support higher education capital projects and to advise on how best to deploy these funds to address the challenges facing our campuses.
Previously, President Keenan served as general counsel and vice president for administration at 缅北禁地, overseeing human resources and equal opportunity, capital planning and facilities, information technology, risk and asset management, and university police. Before joining 缅北禁地, he represented the Seventh Essex District in the Massachusetts State Legislature for a decade, served as an assistant district attorney for Essex County, and worked as city solicitor for two Salem mayoral administrations.
A life-long Salem resident, President Keenan is a proud product of Salem Public Schools and first-generation college graduate. He is a strong proponent of organ donation and donated his kidney to a lifelong friend when he was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease. He lives in Salem with his wife, Kara McLaughlin, and they have two children.