Betsy Newman

Position
Executive Vice President
Biography

As executive vice president, Dr. Betsy Newman plays an instrumental role in shaping and executing the strategic direction of the institution, taking a student-centric approach to foster innovation and position the institution for long-term success. Prior to her appointment as EVP, Dr. Newman served as interim EVP in 2023 and 2024 with distinction. Working closely with EVP for Academic Affairs and Provost David Bogen, she moved Berklee forward with strategic insight and collaborative leadership.

In her previous role as senior vice president for student enrollment and engagement (SEE), she led the innovative expansion of programs, services, and experiences intentionally designed to advance student success, resulting in record recruitment, retention, and graduation outcomes. She has and will continue to provide strategic direction and leadership to SEE, an organization that she reimagined and reorganized to better support students at every stage of their educational journey, from admissions to careers. With a committed team, Dr. Newman led the development of the Berklee Bridge—a transformational student success initiative that connects every student with a dedicated success advisor and team of specialized advisors—which received a $1.8M grant to fund its implementation.

To foster belonging, connection, and community, Dr. Newman launched the inaugural Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and several new student success programs, including the Black Scholars Initiative (BSI); SOMOS Latinx; and RISE, Berklee's first support program for first-generation students. Under Dr. Newman’s leadership, the new Berklee Career Center was designed with a distinctive career communities model, broadening students’ access to real-world career paths, industries, resources, and programs. To advance Berklee’s commitment to affordability, she expanded need-based aid for entering students and designed the Thrive Scholarship program for continuing students, increasing financial aid support to the highest level in Berklee’s history. Dr. Newman has also demonstrated steadfast leadership in challenging times, guiding the institution with great skill, care, and commitment.

Dr. Newman’s career in higher education spans more than 25 years and includes executive roles as dean, vice president, and senior vice president. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to designing distinctively holistic, student-centered experiences that help students develop as entrepreneurial leaders with creation-driven mindsets—empowering them to discover who they are and what they love to do as artists, innovators, and changemakers of all kinds. She believes deeply in this kind of transformative education and how it contributes to students thriving academically, artistically, and professionally. Dr. Newman received her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in finance from Babson College, master’s degree (EdM) in higher education administration from Harvard University, and doctorate degree (EdD) in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, where her research on how educational ecosystems influence students’ development as entrepreneurial leaders with creation-driven mindsets was awarded distinction.

Prior to Berklee, Dr. Newman served in executive leadership roles at Babson College, as dean of students and then vice president of student affairs and program strategy, and at Stonehill College, as director of strategic planning and institutional research. Before her career in higher education, she worked in strategy consulting.