Kayton Chappell Carter is the executive director for UC Davis Academic Advising Enrichment. A unit of Undergraduate Education, Academic Advising Enrichment was established in 2014 to strengthen the UC Davis student experience by providing centralized, campus-wide leadership and advocacy for academic advising. Carter was appointed executive director in 2021. In this role, he also serves as a member of the Undergraduate Education leadership team.

A higher education professional with more than 25 years of experience in academic advising, student retention and educational leadership, Carter promotes equitable access and opportunities for undergraduate students through comprehensive support and professional development for the advising community.

During his UC Davis tenure, Carter founded pivotal initiatives such as the African American Strategic Retention Initiative and the Center for African Diaspora Student Success, UC Davis's first Black student retention center. He previously oversaw three retention centers and four initiatives supporting African diaspora, Asian Pacific Islander, Chicanx and Latinx, and Native American students. He also serves on the advisory board for Beyond the Barriers, supporting system-impacted students.

Before UC Davis, Carter led College Track in Oakland, broadening college access for underserved high school students in the Bay Area, and managed grants for after-school programs at K-12 schools in the Oakland Unified School District.

As a first-generation, system-impacted transfer student and former college athlete, Carter brings a unique perspective to fostering student success. After attending multiple community colleges, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from UC Berkeley in 1994 and a Master of Arts Degree in Student Affairs from Michigan State University in 1998. He currently works toward a doctorate at the UC Davis School of Education, with research focusing on Black male retention and graduation. 

Education and Degrees

Master of Arts