UMass ADVANCE has announced the recipients of the 2026 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards and the Equitable Practices in Collaboration (EPiC) Award. The individuals and groups were honored on April 17 in the Amherst Room in the Campus Center at the 2026 ADVANCE Annual Distinguished Lecture and Awards Luncheon, which featured keynote speaker Waded Cruzado, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. 

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Cruzado, who served as President of the Montana State University system before assuming her current role, paid tribute to the winners of the ADVANCE awards, and to the community that gathered to celebrate their leadership. Her address reminded participants of the deeply democratic values that inspired the creation of the national network of land-grant universities (of which UMass is an exemplar), and of the opportunities we all have to lead in ways that protect the transformative promise of fair, inclusive and empowering public higher education.

“When leaders are at their best, they do five things: they model the way; they inspire a shared vision; they challenge the process; they allow others to act; and they encourage the heart.”
 

UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards

The UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards recognize the invaluable contributions of faculty members across campus in mentoring and supporting their colleagues’ professional development. Research shows that faculty peer mentoring is key to greater inclusion and equity and UMass ADVANCE recognizes that vital work of mentoring colleagues. The awards are supported by the deans of each recipient’s school or college, with central support for this year’s inaugural award for a faculty member in a cross-campus academic unit.

The winners, selected from a competitive pool of nominees, were honored by Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Wilmore Webley, senior vice provost for equity and inclusion.

The 2026 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards Recipients are:

• Brian Baldi, senior lecturer and interim director, Center for Teaching and Learning, faculty in cross-campus academic units
• Carey Dimmitt, professor, Department of Student Development, and director of the Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, College of Education
• Jonathan Rothstein, professor and interim head, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Riccio College of Engineering
• Richard Chu, professor, Department of History, College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• Michelle DaCosta, professor, turfgrass physiology, Stockbridge School of Agriculture, College of Natural Sciences
• Sancha Medwinter, associate professor, Department of Sociology, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Celeste Surreira, clinical associate professor and director of undergraduate programs, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• Carey Baldwin, senior lecturer, Department of Operations and Information Management, Isenberg School of Management
• Francine Berman, Stuart Rice Research Professor and director of the Public Interest Technology Initiative, Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences
• Richard Freyman, professor, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Science, School of Public Health and Health Sciences
   

Equitable Practices in Collaboration (EPiC) Awards

The EPiC Awards recognize groups of faculty who are leading the way in developing and practicing models of inclusive collaboration for scholarly excellence. Scholarly collaboration across hierarchies and boundaries underpins the most exciting innovations in scientific knowledge and creates equitable pathways for scholarly success.

This year, two EPiC group winners were honored by Michael Malone, vice chancellor for research and engagement, for their exemplary equitable collaboration practices:

• The Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research centers youth of color in participatory research, programming, and initiatives grounded in questions of racial and educational equity and serves as a site for community-building. Faculty members: Jamila Lyiscott, Keisha L. Green and Justin Coles.
• The Inclusive Care and Ethical Practice Simulation Group integrates disciplinary best practices with community expertise to design, implement, and evaluate trauma-informed, inclusive simulations to advance ethical nursing practice and patient care. Faculty members: Lindsay DuBois, Celeste Surreira and Christopher Diaz.
   

To learn more about this year’s award recipients, visit UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards and the Equitable Practices in Collaboration (EPiC) Awards on the UMass ADVANCE website.