Director, Student Financial Support Services
Madison Area Technical College
Madison,
WI
Biographical Sketch: Dr. Keyimani Alford (Dr.Key) has been in higher education for over 19 years and currently serves as the Director of Student Financial Support Services at Madison Area Technical College. He started his journey in 1999 as a federal work study at UW-Milwaukee. As a first-generation student himself, Keyimani has worked in multiple capacities to provide assistance to students and often appreciates the opportunity to engage with and understand student experiences. Over the years, Keyimani has worked in multiple capacities in the public 4-year, student loan servicing, and now technical sectors. As an advocate for students, he has been afforded the opportunity to serve on projects that identify strategies and solutions regarding retention and persistence challenges for Minority Serving Institutions with the Department of Education and Great Lakes. He has also participated in the Focus on Focus initiative to improve student course success and student engagement at Madison Area Technical College. His experience as a first-generation college student led him to pursue a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership where his dissertation, “Student Retention: A Description of First-Generation Minority Males’ Interaction with Faculty” focused on the challenges minorities faced at Predominantly White Institutions. Because of Keyimani’s heart for students, it fuels him to understand the student experience and provide support in helping make college enjoyable, teachable, and impactful for all students. He lives in Fitchburg with his godson and enjoys traveling, fishing, and music during his leisure.