Kathleen Winningham

Kathleen serves as the Senior Director of the Knights Experience Team (kNEXT), UCF’s shared services center. The team supports specific divisions including Administration and Finance, University Relations, Facilities and Business Services, and Public Safety, as well as providing oversight to select campus-wide transactional activities. As a dual report to the University’s Controller and the Chief Human Resource Officer, she is responsible for providing strategic shared services, implementing a culture of service excellence, driving continuous improvement, and understanding how to balance the user-experience with transactional accountabilities.

Prior to joining UCF in 2022, Kathleen spent 18+ years at the Walt Disney Company as a leader in employee onboarding and professional development for hourly, salaried, and executive audiences. In her role she had the opportunity to explore new galaxies, navigate jungles, fly on the back of a mountain banshee, and discover the magic of immersive storytelling. Preceding her experience at Disney, she spent 15 years within higher education at the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University, supporting admissions and marketing, student services, and academic administration.

Kathleen earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and MBA from the University of Florida. She also holds professional certifications in executive coaching, post-crisis leadership, and full-stack web development.