Academic HR : Office of the Provost : UMass Amherst

The Provost’s Academic HR team oversees employment-related actions and programs specific to faculty and librarians.

A full suite of employment-related resources can be found on the Academic HR site.

Academic HR Team

Dennis Armistead

Assistant Provost & Senior Director of Academic Labor Relations

Dennis serves as lead representative for labor and employment matters involving graduate and post-doctoral employees and for negotiating and administering the MSP-MTA/NEA, GEO-UAW and PRO-UAW collective bargaining agreements.

Michael Eagen

Vice Provost for Academic Human Resources

Michael Eagen is Vice Provost for Academic Human Resources. Michael leads the Academic HR team and provides strategic leadership and direction for all academic HR and labor relations matters on behalf of the Chancellor and Provost. Prior to joining UMASS, Michael served as the Director of Faculty and Staff Labor Relations for the University of Connecticut Department of Human Resources. He also had a joint appointment as labor counsel in UConn’s Office of the General Counsel. Eagen received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut and his J.D., Cum Laude, from Western New England University School of Law.

Kristen Gibbons

Communication, Events, and Labor Relations Coordinator

Kristen first began her career while earning her undergraduate degree at UMass-Amherst in 2001 working for the ARPE unit at the UMass Donahue Institute. Her role included oversight of large-scale data collection for research and evaluation projects focused on education initiatives, public policy, public health and government programs. She left for a short time before returning to UMass in 2023. Kristen’s current role now resides in Academic Human Resources within the Office of the Provost. She serves as a labor relations coordinator providing administrative and logistical support to the administrative bargaining teams for MSP, GEO and PRO. She also disseminates communications for her team by sending out focused communications to the on-campus community to announce news related to bargaining, or to share dates and deadlines for academic personnel actions. Kristen provides calendar support for both Michael Eagen and Jocelyn Tedisky in the Academic Human Resources office.

Jessica Sadowski

Director of Academic Human Resources

A UMass Amherst alumnus earning her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Jessica began working at the university in 2007 within the former College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. She remained with the newly formed College of Natural Sciences for ten years holding various roles in Human Resources before transitioning to the Office of the Provost in August 2017. Jessica collaborates with senior leadership and college personnel to guide academic HR activities, ensuring compliance with university policies and union agreements. Her responsibilities include advising on faculty personnel actions, overseeing academic personnel tracking and reporting, handling MSP faculty benefits, and addressing complex academic employee issues in coordination with HR partners.

Jocelyn Tedisky

Assistant Provost & Senior Director of Academic Human Resources

Jocelyn Tedisky is the Assistant Provost and Senior Director of Academic Human Resources at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She works closely with senior leadership, deans, directors, and department chairs on all aspects of academic workforce personnel administration. Jocelyn provides strategic leadership on HR matters, oversees tenure-track faculty hiring, personnel actions, and system improvements, and ensures compliance with policies and union contracts. She leads the development of academic personnel policies, training, and resources, while managing and enhancing workflow systems and databases.
Jocelyn holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance) from the University of Connecticut. She is also certified in Contract Administration from Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School and a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).