Serenity Wright

Senior Associate Director, Social Innovation

Serenity Wright, Ed.D. currently serves as the Senior Associate Director for Social Innovation for the Office of Technology and Commercialization, where she develops and manages new innovation and entrepreneurship programs focused on inclusive innovation and creating equitable access to entrepreneurship and innovation training for underrepresented innovators at UK and in Kentucky. She is a passionate leader driving economic development through transformational change initiatives rooted in social innovation, entrepreneurial equity and genuine creativity by building integrated systems with research, business and policy.

Serenity earned her doctorate from the University of Kentucky in policy, measurement and evaluation. Her research interests include equity and access to opportunities. Serenity employs a hard science approach through a lens of cultural competency for her theoretical orientation. She is passionate about advocating for those who struggle to access opportunities available to them. Serenity taught high school for eight years, served as the Associate Dean for Diversity and International Students Services at Transylvania University, worked in city government and served as the Gatton Honors Pathway Director and Co-Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Gatton College of Business and Economics. In addition to serving on several community boards across the state, she also holds an appointment on the Mayoral Commission for Racial Justice and Equity.