Lynne Adams
Associate Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer University of Maryland Baltimore County
Dr. Lynne Adams has over 3 decades of experience providing innovative human resources and organizational development initiatives to higher education, business, government, and non-profit organizations. She has developed a career path based upon her passion and commitment to improving organizational commitment, strategic focus, team cohesiveness, and leadership skills within organizations. She has developed and implemented large-scale organizational development, leadership, and career development initiatives that have had a significant impact propelling organizations to maximize their skills and their talent
She has served in leadership positions in corporate, public health, finance, non-profit and higher education. Currently serving as the CHRO/Associate Vice President of Human Resources & Strategic Talent Management at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).
Dr. Adams completed her B.S. at Oakland University in Human Resources Development (minor in Labor Relations), M.Ed. at Wayne State University in Instructional Design and Technology, and her Ph.D. at Capella University in the school of business in General Organization & Management. An accomplished facilitator she is certified in coaching, leadership, and team-based training curricula and several instruments. Over the 15 years she has served as an adjunct faculty for several College and University graduate programs (Masters and Doctorates) focusing on organizational behavior, HR, strategy, and leadership courses. Finally, she serves on several professional and non-profit boards. She a proud wife to Lee and Mom to two adult children David and Danielle.
Seminars
- Redesigning UMBC’s entire leadership development architecture in response to a new leadership, and a growing cohort of leaders, some new to higher ed replacing one-off courses with an intentional, cohesive, multi-tiered curriculum that builds capability from aspiring to senior leaders.
- Integrating coaching, mentoring, and cohort based learning across programs like Launch, Inspire, Leap, Rise and Peak UMBC’s senior leadership track to improve leader confidence and reduce over escalation to HR, targeting a 20-30% reduction in employee relations cases as leaders gain the skills to resolve issues earlier and more effectively.
- Targeting measurable institutional impact by building a pipeline of trained internal leaders prepared to step into acting, interim, or permanent roles, reducing succession related disruption and positioning UMBC to improve retention as leadership turnover across higher ed continues to accelerate.
- How can universities co‑create leadership and culture frameworks with faculty and staff so they feel community‑owned rather than HR‑mandated?
- What design choices matter most when moving from one‑off leadership programs to a multi‑level, institution‑wide leadership architecture?
- How can leadership expectations be embedded consistently across the employee lifecycle (recruitment, development, performance, recognition) in a shared‑governance environment?
- What indicators best demonstrate leadership impact in higher education, such as reduced escalation to HR, stronger succession readiness, or increased cross‑campus engagement?
