Serenity Wright, Ed.D. currently serves as the Senior Executive Director for Innovation, Community Health, and Societal Impact at UK Innovate, where she designs strategy for and lead the UK Social Innovation program by advancing social innovation impact and social enterprise, including developing and executing growth strategy to increase capacity. She is responsible for leading the strategy for the identification, development, and commercialization of health and healthcare innovations with potential for implementation and impact; designing and leading the strategy and implementation of all community health innovation programs; lead, oversee, and manage internal and external partnerships to advance and enhance partnerships for community health innovations; develop and sustain an innovation ecosystem with intentional programs/projects focused on access to innovation and entrepreneurship programs. She is a passionate leader driving economic development through transformational change initiatives rooted in social innovation, entrepreneurial access 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 focus area is expanding 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. Serenity serves on a Mayoral Commission, as well as several boards for startups and organizations across the state.