Skip to main content
Student News

USMSM Appoints a New Chair-Elect for its Board of Advisors

Mr. Jack Keane, Vice Chair, will serve as Chair for three years beginning in 2023.

California, Maryland, July 29, 2022 ‒ The University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM) is pleased to announce the newest Chair Elect for its Board of Advisors. Mr. Jack Keane, current Vice Chair of the Board, will serve as Chair for two years beginning in 2023. Mr. Keane was elected by the Board at a meeting held at its quarterly meeting in July. 

Mr. Keane was raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts and graduated from The Virginia Military Institute in 1980 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Throughout his impressive career as a Naval Officer, Mr. Keane served in many assignments around the world. In 1993, he graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA with a degree in Operations Research. He retired in 1995 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander after serving at the Naval Research Laboratory where he flew research missions worldwide.

Since his military career, Mr. Keane has been heavily involved in research and education. He served as a member of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Principal Professional Staff, Branch Supervisor of the Precision Strike Systems Branch in the Force Projection Sector, and as a member of DoD’s Simulation-Based Acquisition Joint Task Force. Additionally, He was a member of the adjunct faculty of the JHU Whiting School of Engineering. He is a past president and Fellow of the Military Operations Research Society (MORS), having received the MORS Wanner Award, the Society’s highest award for lifetime contributions to the field of Operations Research in 2014. In 2016, he was appointed to the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center (SMHEC) Board of Governors by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and in September 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Advisors for USMSM. 

Mr. Keane believes in USMSM’s mission to offer world-class education and degree programs in the Southern Maryland region. “I’ve lived in Charles County since 1993. In the nearly 29 years I’ve lived here, I’ve watched my neighbors come and go and, if they stayed, their children went away to college and never returned. Some went off to become engineers, mathematicians, and analysts. Others to become doctors, veterinarians, and teachers. All that talent was leaving Southern Maryland. I thought this would be my opportunity to give back to Southern Maryland and demonstrate to the youth of the tri-county area that there are great opportunities right here at home.” 

He added, “I’m incredibly excited about the new SMART building and the opportunities it has to bring in research dollars for robotics, uncrewed systems, and autonomy – all of which will benefit not only the military, but law enforcement, first responders, and the medical profession, to name a few.”

Mr. Keane’s mission in his role as Chair is to reach out to the tri-county area to expand the reputation of USMSM and ultimately educational opportunities for underserved members of the community. “We can do this by working with the local school systems, students, and their parents to increase their awareness about affordable educational opportunities available right here at home,” he said. “Additionally, we need to expand the number of non-STEM programs, particularly in the agriculture and aquaculture areas. We also have a national shortage of teachers and veterinarians and I believe USMSM can work to close those gaps for our community.” 

Mr. Joe Anderson, current Chair of the Board of Advisors, is looking forward to transitioning the Chair Elect. "Since Jack joined our board three years ago, he’s been integral to everything we’ve accomplished and I think that’s significant. From our very successful merger with the University of Maryland, to fighting for funds to build the SMART building, and then seeing the building constructed and opened for business, Jack was there every step of the way.”

He added, “Jack gets the big picture very well, but he also pays impeccable attention to the details of how we must get there. He gets the job done. I can’t think of a better person to chair the USMSM Board of Advisors, and I sincerely look forward to working under his leadership as we bring USMSM to great heights.” 

“Jack has a long history of supporting access to education in Southern Maryland,” said Eileen Abel, Executive Director of USMSM. “We are grateful that he is stepping in to fill Joe’s very big shoes.”

Back to Top