The 2022 Celebration of UMass Amherst HERS Women Leaders was held on May 20 to recognize the newest UMass Amherst HERS Leadership Institute cohort and the university’s continued commitment to supporting diversity in leadership. UMass Amherst faculty, administrators, and HERS alums attended the reception hosted by the Office of Faculty Development in the Great Hall of the Old Chapel.
Since 1995, UMass Amherst has contributed to the development of women-identified academic leaders by funding selected faculty and staff to attend the HERS Leadership Institute. Remarking on the occasion of this year's HERS celebration, Michelle Budig, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, commented "Supporting the rise and shining a light on the success of UMass Amherst women leaders are important efforts our campus makes to diversify our leadership pool and more fully realize the leadership potential of campus members. Scholarship on the organizational and cultural barriers women encounter in pursuit of leadership opportunities show that, just like the corporate world, academia has a long way to go. UMass Amherst's partnership with the HERS Institutes is a powerful mechanism for moving our campus forward on our goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership."
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of HERS (Higher Education Resource Services) as an organization, HERS President Gloria Thomas visited UMass Amherst to meet with campus leaders and speak at the celebration. Thomas’ shared an overview of 50 years of “HERStory” as well as new directions for HERS to expand and diversify programming to reach more women leaders. She underscored the strong, long-time collaboration with UMass Amherst and paid tribute to “the remarkable women leaders at UMass.”
Opening remarks were made by Angela de Oliveira, Incoming Associate Provost for Faculty Development, and John McCarthy, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The celebration featured remarks from two UMass Amherst HERS alumnae, Elena Carbone, Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Oversight in the Commonwealth Honors College, and Sara Littlecrow-Russell, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Shared Services in Student Affairs and Campus Life, who spoke about the impact of HERS on their leadership journeys.
UMass Amherst 2022 HERS Leadership Institute Participants:
- Mary Ellen Burke - Clinical Associate Professor; Director, Master’s Degree and Certificate Programs, Nursing
- Caitlyn Butler - Associate Professor, Graduate Program Director, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Iris Chelaru - Head of IT Communications & Campus Engagement, Information Technology
- Michelle Cooke - Professor, Geosciences
- Elizabeth Cracco - Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life and Wellbeing, Student Affairs
- Holly Lawrence - Assistant Dean, Office of Career Success, Isenberg School of Management; Senior Lecturer II, Business Communication Program
- E. Nicole Melton - Associate Department Chair, Associate Professor, Sport Management
- Shelly Peyton - Professor, Chemical Engineering
- Lindiwe Sibeko - Associate Professor, Department Chair, Nutrition
- Laurel Smith-Doerr - Professor, Sociology; Principal Investigator, UMass ADVANCE
- Susan Weldon - Senior Director, Employee Engagement, Human Resources
View the full list of UMass Amherst campus leaders who have participated in past sessions of the HERS Leadership Institute program.