Professor Khumalo brings extensive experience to the role, with a focus on fostering learning environments that support both staff and student development through engagement, innovation, and collaboration.
Her academic interests include student success in higher education, throughput, rural education, teacher development, curriculum design, and the enhancement of teaching and learning practices. Her approach is shaped by emotional intelligence, resilience, and a strong commitment to data-informed decision-making that seeks to create equitable academic spaces where all voices are valued, and students are supported to succeed.
Her early professional career includes teaching in schools in both South Africa and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining UMP, she served as Associate Professor and Academic Leader for Teaching and Learning in the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Professor Khumalo has held several academic leadership positions, including Academic Leader for the Bachelor of Education programme, Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Studies, and Academic Monitoring and Support Coordinator at UKZN.
She holds a PhD in Education from UKZN, an M.Ed. and B.Ed. (First Class) from the University of Zululand, a B.Paed Science (cum laude), and a Senior Secondary Teachers' Diploma. She is also an alumnus of the HERS-SA Academy and has completed the Women in Leadership Programme (2024) and the Senior Management Development Programme at Stellenbosch Business School.
Her contributions to teaching and learning have been recognised through various awards, including the 2024 Teaching Excellence Certificate from UKZN and multiple institutional accolades.
Professor Khumalo has contributed to national education policy development, serving on the Council on Higher Education (CHE) reference group on Qualification Standards for Initial Teacher Education, and is currently a member of the Umalusi Qualifications Standards Committee.
She has published extensively in local and international journals and has contributed to several academic book chapters. She has successfully supervised numerous Master's and PhD candidates. Her research focuses on academic success strategies, particularly for rural students in higher education. She is the principal investigator on several projects, including a three-year NRF-funded study supporting high-performing students, and previously led a SACE-funded research initiative.
A beneficiary of the STAR Mentorship Programme, she was awarded the University Capacity Development Programme grant in 2018, and was recently recognised by the Golden Key Honour Society Southern Africa as one of South Africa's 300 most influential leaders.
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