HFA Graduate Careers Beyond the Academy Networking Event
HFA Graduate Careers Beyond the Academy Networking Event
Friday, April 12, from 1-2:30 p.m.
Bromery Center for the Arts, Lobby
About the Event
Graduate degrees lead in many directions, more often than not outside the academy. Join HFA alumni for conversation around a variety of career paths. Join us for HFA Graduate Careers Beyond the Academy Networking Event on Friday, April 12, from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Bromery Center for the Arts lobby. The event is part of HFA Days.
Featured Alumni
Richard Colton '74 '00MA is a three-time alumnus from UMass Amherst, graduating with a BA in anthropology in 1974; MEd in 1997; and MA in history in 2000. A retired Public Historian at Springfield Armory NHS, US NPS, he has published and contributed to studies of early industrial history of the region, often associated with metal working and arms production. Richard is currently a consultant to Historic Deerfield, Old Sturbridge Village, and Historical Society of Greenfield. He recently worked with collections of Historic Northampton, Minuteman National Historical Park, and The Concord Museum developing public history programming. For these organization, he has also advised staff on matters concerning firearms collections consistent with collections Scope of Collections requirements and security concerns.
Amanda Molina Dumas '09 is a long time public servant and currently works as a Licensing Specialist with the Cannabis Control Commission. She serves as a regional commissioner on the Worcester County Commission on the Status of Women and is an appointed member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Women’s Rights History Trail Taskforce, along with serving as a local election worker.
Amanda holds a bachelor’s in History and Women’s Studies from UMass Amherst (2009) and a master’s in History and Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies also from UMass Amherst (2012).
Amanda resides near Worcester, Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. She is a fan of true crime podcasts, thrift shopping and birdwatching. She is also a proud advocate of IVF and protecting women’s reproductive rights.
Rick Guimond '75 began his professional dance training at UMass Amherst, and graduated magna cum laude in 1975. Over the course of twenty-five years Rick performed with many modern dance company including HARRY-Dance and Other Works by Senta Driver, Molissa Fenley and Dancers, The New England Opera Company, NYU Calliope Dancers, The Elinor Coleman Dance Ensemble and The Contemporary Dancers of Winnipeg, Canada. For 20 years Rick was resident choreographer of the 200-voice New York City Gay Mens Chorus. He also directed his own dance company, Guimond Dance Associates, and was a founding partner of Kidrich Corporation, makers of dance books, games and videos. Rick currently teaches dance to thousands of students in New York City public schools.
Nate Lumen '21MArch is an Intern-Architect at C&H Architects in Amherst, MA. He graduated summa cum laude from Skidmore College with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Psychology, where his studies examined the nature of the human experience. After years in organic agriculture, carpentry, and events production, Nate returned to school in 2018 to study Architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he earned his Masters of Architecture degree with honors. While at UMass, Nate's research examined the intersection of the human and more than human world, thoroughly reconsidering our place within the greater symphony of life. At C&H Architects, Nate is involved in progressing the field of sustainable design. He lives with his family in Leverett, MA.
Lan Morgan '09, communication and art history major, is an Assistant Curator at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), where she works on a variety of exhibition projects. Her recent work on PEM's Asian Export Art gallery received the 2020 Exhibition Award from the Association of American Art Curators. Prior to joining PEM, Lan worked for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum ofArt, Sotheby's New York, and several New England historical societies. She earned her BA from UMass Amherst, and an MA from the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware. Lan lives in Beverly, MA, where you can often find her exploring the natural areas of the North Shore, visiting museums, and treasure hunting in antiques stores.
Bill Noland '86 grew up in Amherst as his father was a Professor of English at UMass from 1965–2004. Bill received a BA in Psychology from UMass Amherst in 1986 and an MBA from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management in 1992. He has worked in Human Resources for several nonprofit organizations in Boston and spent 17 years in the financial services industry where he became a subject matter expert in the Advent line of software products and their implementation and application in financial advisory firms. Bill retired in 2021 but has turned his attention to music, playing in a variety of local bands, and to writing an award-winning series of historically inspired supernatural thrillers, Uncommon Bonds.
Michael Partridge '92 (B.A. English, Honors '92) has served in a number of roles leading product communications, corporate branding and communications, and investor relations at Vertex Pharmaceuticals over the last 20 years. He is currently Vertex's Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and is responsible for Vertex's global investor relations program and is a member of the Company's management committee. He has been honored twice by Institutional Investor as Best Investor Relations Professional in the biotechnology sector. Prior to Vertex, Mr. Partridge spent four years at Decision Resources, a privately owned consulting and advisory firm for the healthcare, pharmaceutical and financial industries. His work on a report projecting the rapid evolution in HIV therapeutic development and treatment led him to his initial role at Vertex.
Kate Preissler '10MA holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and History from Bates College and a Masters Degree in History from UMass Amherst. Her academic and professional work focuses on the intersections between people and places, especially in natural and historic landscapes. Her time at UMass included studying 20th century social movements and she has used that as a starting point to keep antiracism, decolonization, and sound labor practices at the forefront of her work. Her early career was spent at camps, after-school programs, and outdoor recreation organizations. She has worked in Public Engagement, Communications, and Operations at various nonprofits in Western Mass. In 2015 she moved into public service, first as a Department Head in the City of Holyoke, overseeing an historic mansion, gardens, cultural event space, and archive facility and now working as West Region Director of State Park Operations for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. In her free time she reads, writes, volunteers, and spends as much time on the trails and waters of New England as she can.
Zach Schläppi '95 is Studio Art Director with Demiurge Studios located in Boston, Mass. Previously, he art directed for several studios including Relic Entertainment | SEGA, Avalanche Studios, Ubisoft Entertainment, and Electronic Arts including consulting and mentoring with Agni Interactive, Turbo! Studios and Execution Labs. Before a career in game development, Schläppi was a technical director in lighting and compositing for feature animation with Amoeba Proteus, Big Idea Productions and Blue Sky Studios. He has spoken at various conferences and schools including the School of Visual Arts, Laguna College of Art, Santa Monica College, and Mercy College. Zach received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts.
Peter Sokolowski, '92, '94MA is Editor at Large at Merriam-Webster. He has written definitions for many of Merriam-Webster’s dictionaries, is active as a blogger, podcaster, and speaker on language, and has served as pronouncer for spelling bees worldwide. He was named among TIME's 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2013. He also contributes blog articles, podcasts, and videos for the online dictionary, and his writing has appeared in Slate, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Sokolowski attended the University of Paris and earned his M.A. in French Literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also a freelance musician and a music host at New England Public Media.
Lorin Starr '90MA graduated from UMass Amherst with a BA in History (Honors) and, later, MS in Art (Interior Design). She was an interior designer for UMass Housing Services and has taught courses in both Interior Design and Architectural Drawing at the University.
From 1994-2004, Lorin was the interior designer for Juster Pope Frazier Architects where her projects included the interior design for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (Amherst, MA). She was a partner in Lukas Design from 2004-2011, where she continued to focus on educational projects. In 2011 she began LORINSTARR INTERIORS. In addition. she serves as Executive Director of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Lorin is active in her local community. A member of her town’s Board of Library Trustees for over 25 years, Lorin chaired the building committee for the Sunderland Public Library – a $2.5 million facility that opened in April 2004. She chaired Sunderland’s 120 North Main Street Committee which helped create 33 units of affordable senior housing. She is a member of the town’s Capital Planning Committee and is chair of the Village Center Committee, which is charged with looking a long-term issues related to the town center including transportation, zoning, pedestrian access, and landscape.