Michael J. Nicholson, MPP ‘17, has been awarded with the UMass Amherst Outstanding Young Alumni award for 2024. Nicholson has served as the mayor of Gardner, Massachusetts since winning his first term in 2020 and is the city’s first Latin American elected official. He is one of six recipients of awards from the UMass Amherst Foundation this year.
As the third-term mayor of Gardner, Nicholson has overseen the city’s COVID-19 response, pushed forward with downtown revitalization, and worked on boosting economic development for the city. In addition to his responsibilities as mayor, Nicholson is also chair of the Montachusett Regional Transportation Authority and a member of the Governor’s Transportation Funding Taskforce and the Local Government Advisory Commission.
Nicholson graduated from the School of Public Policy with his MPP in 2017 after completing his baccalaureate studies in History and Political Science. He has since completed his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk Law School.
SPP is incredibly proud to have Nicholson as a graduate, and we extend to him the warmest congratulations for receiving this honor.