Meet the CMASS Staff
Administrative
Shelly Perdomo, Director, CMASS
Shelly Perdomo,
has educated, mentored, advised and engaged students, faculty, community partners and administrators at various levels of higher education. Working in collaboration with professors and various departments, Shelly has been an agent of social change helping to both diversify and enrich the university curriculum. In every level, Shelly continues to be part of an ongoing effort to recruit and retain faculty, students of color and other underrepresented students to create more diverse and socially just educational communities. Her passion, energy and enthusiasm are evident in the wide array of workshops and conference presentations on the academic experiences of undergraduate Women of Color in higher education. Shelly is doctoral candidate in the Educational Policy, Research and Administration program at UMass Amherst. She is a first generation Dominican-American native of Harlem, New York and one of five siblings
Chona Lauyan, Assistant Director of CMASS
She used to work with Asian Pacific Americans and other students of varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. She helped students transition from highschool to college easier. She brought with her the professional training and skills she acquired from the United States ESL/Cultural Orientation Program with the State Department based in Washington D.C. and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee Services at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in the Philippines. As an educator, she prepared displaced Southeast Asian refugee youths aged 11-16, namely Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians, Hmong and Montagnards to cope and adjust with life in their final destination, the United States. Upon her arrival at UMass, she still worked with the same population only this time it is on a larger scale and more inclusive of students coming from different cultural origins.
A proponent of higher education and Student Affairs, Chona is now in charge of Publicity & Marketing and Administration of CMASS.
Ophelia Sowers, Office Manager of CMASS
Ophelia has been with UMass for a good number of years as a strong administrative support to various departments in higher education that she was affiliated with. She worked previously with Enrollment Services as one of its administrative personnel. Ophelia moved on to the Center for Student Development as a Special Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for five years.
She joined CMASS this summer as the Office Manager where she shares her expertise in managing the operation and administrative areas of the unit.
Academic Support
Oscar R. Collins, Associate Director
Oscar came to the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success after serving as the Assistant Director/Learning Specialist in the Athletics Department. He has been at the University since 1997 when he was a Residence Director. Oscar brings 15 years of experience with a focus on Higher Education and Student Development. Oscar is also a trained Intergroup Dialogue facilitator for the University of Massachusetts
Michelle Youngblood, Assistant Director
Michelle has been on the UMass Amherst campus since 1998, first as a recruiter in Admissions, then as an advisor in the Native American Student Services Office. She has been with CMASS since January 2008.
Celia Maldonado, Assistant Director
Celia has been working at the University of Massachusetts since 1995 with Talent Search as a Program Coordinator. She then worked as an academic adviser for the Native American Student Services (NASS) department. From NASS, she moved to the Bilingual Collegiate Program where she served as an Assistant Director for eight years. Currently, she is an Assistant Director with the Academic Support area for CMASS.
Student Development
Wilma Crespo, Associate Director
Wilma holds a B.S. Environmental Science from UMass Amherst and a M.S.E.L. Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Her experience in Student Affairs spans recruitment, advising and now transforming students into leaders ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.
Willie Pope, Assistant Director
Willie holds a B.S. Sports Management/Economics degree from UMass Amherst. He is a dedicated student affairs professional who is committed to the success and overall development of our students. My primary goal is to provide students with the necessary tools and resources that will assist them in clearly defining their personal and professional goals.
Institutional Diversity
Doris Clemmons, Associate Director
Doris is an Adjunct Faculty member in the School of Education where she teaches courses that engage students in conversation around college survival, student development, mentoring and cultural identity. She develops and coordinates programs and seminars that are related to the success of 1st generation students and works with student groups and colleagues on numerous educational, academic and cultural program initiatives that are related to the retention and success of underrepresented students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, in Urban Education; a Master’s in Instructional Application of Computers/Future Studies and; a Doctorate in Staff Development/Instructional Leadership in Multicultural Program Development.
Cultural Enrichment
Joyce Vincent, Associate Director
Joyce Vincent, the former Associate Director of the Native American Student Support Services (NASSS) and former Director of the Dr. Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center (JWECC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), is the Associate Director for Cultural Enrichment at the Center for Multicultural Advancement & Student Success (CMASS). She is a social justice activist for Indigenous rights, an educator for Native American studies, and has worked tirelessly here on the UMass campus for approximately 20 years.
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