Kelly C. Sikorski, MLA
Senior Program Specialist
School of Medicine
Email: ksikorski@umaryland.edu
Please introduce yourself and describe your role at UMB.
Hi! I'm Kelly, a current Staff Senator and Member-at-Large seeking re-election. In my two years of Staff Senate service, I've co-chaired the Board of Regents Staff Awards Committee, chaired the Staff Senate Retreat Planning Committee, and represented the Senate on the UMB Council for Arts and Culture. In these roles I interface regularly with senior university leadership in support of shared governance. As Member-at-Large, I serve as a liaison between the Executive Committee, Staff Senators, and the broader staff body, escalating staff-level concerns to top leadership, and seeing those conversations through to positive outcomes. In my professional role as Senior Program Specialist within the University of Maryland School of Medicine, I primarily support Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) faculty working at the forefront of traumatic brain injury and central nervous system injury science. My work spans executive administration, HR, financial oversight, and the day-to-day operational work required to keep a highly active research group running. I work across various groups, such as but not limited to faculty, staff, trainees, department and research center
leadership, HR, Finance, and the Dean's Office. I regularly translate complex policy and protocol for audiences ranging from students and trainees to department administrators and senior faculty. Throughout my nine-year career at UMB, and the near decade I spent in similar roles at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before that, I've built a deep understanding of how academic institutions work and what staff need to thrive within them. I hold a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Sociology from Clemson University. I'm also a graduate of UMB's Emerging Leaders Program and was fortunate to complete the final cohort of the UMBrella Program.
Why are you interested in serving on the Staff Senate?
I want to continue my work on Staff Senate because I believe our staff deserve strong, informed representation, and I've seen firsthand what that representation can look like at its best. My first term gave me a real education in how shared governance works at this institution. I now have a deeper understanding of the levers that shape the staff experience: compensation, recognition, professional development, and a supportive workplace culture. I've built relationships across every school and many administrative divisions, and I've learned how to leverage those relationships to advance initiatives within UMB's infrastructure. But one term isn't enough to see initiatives through! The work I've been part of, such as strengthening the Board of Regents Staff Awards process, contributing to retreat programming that energizes and bonds senators, and building bridges on behalf of staff across campus, is ongoing. Re-election means continuity, and continuity matters in advocacy work. More than anything, I want to serve because I have a genuine stake in this place. After nine years at UMB, I know what it feels like to be a staff member navigating federal, state and institutional policy changes, wondering if your voice is being heard, hoping someone at the table is thinking about people like you. I want to be that person.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term?
In my next term, I want to continue serving as a conduit between senior leadership and staff on issues that hit close to home including budget developments and their implications for our campus community, addressing job security concerns head on, and ensuring staff are informed rather than left to wonder. I also want to continue fostering relationships between UMB Security, UMB Police, and other public entities to ensure all employees have access to the best available safe ride and bus service, and to ensure that staff parking needs are well-represented as planning moves forward on the Lexington Street Transformation development project. On the Staff Senate operational side, I want to support Executive Committee efforts around reproducibility, documentation, and continuity. On the Board of Regents (BOR) Staff Awards Committee, I hope to help launch a new web-based nomination system, provide user feedback to the central University System of Maryland (USM) BOR Committee responsible for building and maintaining the platform, more widely promote the award program to receive more top-notch nominations, and increase the publicity of our UMB winners across
campus. I hope to see even more honorees celebrated at the Annual Employee Recognition and Service Awards event next year!
Describe your hobbies and interests outside of work.
I love growing flowers in my garden and sharing them with colleagues on campus. I enjoy hosting large camping trips with my husband and spending time with our two young sons. I've recently taken up yoga again and am trying to make more time to craft, bake and cook. Music has always been a part of my life, and while live concerts are rarer these days, my family regularly tears up our kitchen dance floor. I also love trying new restaurants and the creative dishes my talented husband cooks at home. I visit museums, galleries and historical sites whenever the opportunity arises.
