Urban College of Boston President Michael Taylor Retires, Clea Andreadis Named Interim President

Last winter, President Michael Taylor announced to the Urban College of Boston (UCB) community that he would be retiring on June 24, 2022, after nearly ten years at the College. As announced by the UCB Board of Trustees at the time, Clea Andreadis, the College’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, has been appointed as Interim President for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. Ms. Andreadis will begin her new role immediately upon Mr. Taylor’s retirement, and plans to return to her current position once the College has completed its search for a new president. UCB Board Chair Peter Ebb noted that “as we approach the end of Michael’s tenure, we wanted to express our gratitude for his leadership and to convey our appreciation to Clea for her taking on this new role.”

Mr. Taylor is a lifelong resident of the City of Boston, and the son of immigrants. Before he came to the Urban College, he led an exemplary career in government service and higher education, focused on social services, workforce development and creating economic opportunity.

Mr. Taylor took on the role of UCB President in 2012, at a time when the College was in financial distress and on the verge of closing. He led a remarkable campaign to build support for UCB within the Boston community, convincing public and private funding sources to reduce the College’s deficits and persuading students that the Urban College could not merely survive, but could grow to offer new pathways to their success. According to Board Chair Ebb, “Michael did this the way he has done everything at the College – by getting to know and then mobilizing the community, one person at a time.” Under Mr. Taylor’s leadership, the College not only avoided closure, but ran surpluses for nine consecutive years, while increasing enrollment by more than 72%.

Mr. Taylor forged and expanded partnerships with community organizations and government agencies. He also introduced or gave essential support to a series of milestone initiatives. Mr. Taylor guided the College through the pandemic, and brought the College to its current home at 2 Boylston Street. He helped launch a first in the country program under which UCB students could become certified and find employment as clinical research coordinators. Board Chair Ebb noted that, “Michael navigated for the College a course to success that will continue to be realized for years after his retirement. He has been a visionary and effective leader for the last decade. And through all the challenges he faced, Michael conducted himself with grace, humor, humility and the most passionate and selfless commitment to a cause in which he believes with every ounce of his being.”

Prior to her arrival at UCB in 2019, Clea Andreadis had worked for more than 20 years in higher education, both as a top administrator and as an educator, following a successful career in public service. At the Urban College, Ms. Andreadis has shown a capacity for bringing parties together to effect meaningful change. She has been involved in nearly every major College initiative in her three years at UCB, and has demonstrated both strong leadership ability and a drive continuously to improve the academic program and the supports available to the College’s students.

In response to the pandemic Ms. Andreadis led the College’s transformation in early March 2020 from a school at which classes were offered entirely in-person to one at which, two weeks later, classes were offered entirely online. During this unprecedented time, Ms. Andreadis successfully guided the faculty and staff through whirlwind changes, while ensuring that students continued to have the critical supports needed for their success.

According to Board Chair Ebb, “Clea has earned the confidence of the entire UCB community, its students, faculty, staff and board of trustees. She has the respect of our many community partners and the trust of the government agencies with which the College frequently interacts. At a time of instability in the world and of challenges throughout the higher education system, we are very fortunate to have someone as talented and experienced as Clea to step into this role. She will provide continuity, proven leadership and a profound commitment to UCB’s mission and to the students it serves.”