Jera S. Jamison, M.S.S.W. is new Director of Development

April, 2008 - We are pleased to announce that Jera S. Jamison, M.S.S.W. has joined the School of Education as our Director of Development.  Jera was most recently the Director of Development in the Office of Outreach for UMass Amherst, where she helped design and implement the first-ever comprehensive development program for UMass Extension and University Without Walls.

Prior to entering the realm of higher education, Jera served as Executive Director of several organizations working with at-risk families and youth.

 “My direct social work experiences have been instrumental in creating and building relationships that will work for the best interest of the mission and goals of the School of Education,” She said.

Jera has an impressive list of goals for next year, such as engaging with as many alumni as possible, connecting alumni and faculty, developing a plan of action for the School’s capital campaign, and advocating for School of Education priorities within the University system.

She says that it is essential to help others to understand that “while ‘fund-raising’ is about raising money, more importantly it is about offering others the opportunity to make commitments that are meaningful in their lives.”

“We are delighted to have Jera on board, and excited about being able to more fully engage our alumni and friends to keep in touch in a sustained fashion,” said Dean Christine McCormick. “One of Jera’s leading initiatives during this Centennial Celebration year will be to arrange in-person meetings to update alumni and friends about the exciting developments in the School of Education and to get feedback about the types of initiatives you would like to see in the future.”

Drop by and say hi to Jera at 126 Furcolo Hall or contact her at 413-545-1112 or jjamison@educ.umass.edu.