USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Interim Regional Chancellor & Vice Provost
Brett E. Kemker, Ph.D.
University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Campus
Brett E. Kemker was appointed interim regional chancellor at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus beginning January 3, 2025. He continues serving as vice provost for academic affairs and student success in addition to retaining his position as regional vice chancellor for the campus, a role he has held since the summer of 2018.
Kemker played an integral part in the comprehensive consolidation process coalescing three campuses into One USF that spanned more than two years. Completed in July 2020, this overlapped COVID-19 in the spring; within two weeks, he effectively oversaw a transition to an instructional modality that was entirely online. He introduced the new Accelerated Second Degree (BSN) program and nursing skills lab as well as conceived and executed a plan that transformed an adjacent, antiquated motel into a state-of-the-art Research Annex.
In 2022, Kemker launched the Judy Genshaft Honors College on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. He implemented a holistic concierge service model with on-campus Student Health Services and a Counseling & Wellness Center at USF. He has consistently increased FTIC retention.
Kemker is co-chair of the university’s Accreditation Steering Committee for SACSCOC and has additionally served as a certified SACSCOC Peer Evaluator for more than a decade. He led implementation of the Dual Enrollment and Early University programs at USF that have grown from 0 to 1,000+ high school students enrolled across 30+ counties in just four years.
Prior to joining USF, Kemker’s roles in administration included Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Dean of Students at the University of New Orleans (UNO) and Assistant Provost and Dean for the College of Health at The University of Southern Mississippi. His earlier career included positions as tenured full Professor (UNO), Associate Professor (Louisiana Tech University), and Faculty Senator and Assistant Professor (Florida State University).
His research interests lie in the investigation of the effects of auditory and visual stimuli on cognitive resource allocation, having published and presented over 100 original papers in top-tier journals, conventions, and consortiums globally. Development and fundraising highlights include raising more than $3.8 million to date (including high-value gifts at USF and The University of Southern Mississippi).
Kemker holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Florida. After completing a master of arts degree from the University of Florida, he went on to earn a doctorate from the University of Florida. He has additionally completed executive leadership and management certification programs through Harvard Business School.
He is married to Denise Kemker; they have one daughter, Elizabeth, who is a graduate student at USF, and one son, Nicholas, who is an undergraduate student while also pursuing a career in baseball.