Employee recognition is an important part of an inclusive workplace. The President's Office Employee Recognition Program includes service awards for years of service at the University and a performance recognition award provided in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Process Overview
Each year, we honor our colleagues who achieve an employment milestone. It is an opportunity to recognize our employees for their service and continued contribution to our mission.
The annual Performance Recognition Program is an opportunity to formally recognize state employees for their extraordinary contributions to public service. An email is sent out by Human Resources each year when the nomination window opens. Anyone can nominate a colleague for an individual award or a team for a group award.
There are five awards given by the Commonwealth each year:
- Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service
- Governor Paul Cellucci Award for Leadership and Mentoring
- Eugene H. Rooney, Jr., Public Service Award
- Commonwealth Equity in Governance Award
- Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance
For more information on the Commonwealth awards, visit the Mass.gov Performance Recognition Program page.
2021 Commonwealth PRP Recipients
Nominator
Jacquie Kittler, Director of Employee and Labor Relations
Recipients
- Jennifer Adams, Senior Applications Specialist
- Shahnaz Chatiwala, Senior Software Administrator
- Vanita Chawla, Principal Web Developer
- Dee Cogliandro, Director, Release Management and QA
- Kristina England, Senior Digital Experience and Accessibility
- Yara Hentz, Senior Project Manager
- Kerri Hudzikiewicz, Manager, Operations Center
- Nishith Jain, Principal Data Warehouse Specialist
- Michael Milligan, UMass Systems Chief Information Officer
- Megan Momtaheni, Applications Manager
- Shahriar Panahi, Director, Enterprise Data and Analytics
- Martha Pierson, Senior Applications Developer
Nominator
Michael Milligan, UMass Systems Chief Information Officer
Recipients
- Abdikarim Ali, Applications Specialist I
- Zoila Altamirano, Senior Applications Specialist
- Richard Aseltine, Principal System Specialist
- Shahnaz Chatiwala, Senior Software Administrator
- Dee Cogliandro, Director, Release Management and QA
- Rick Cote, Chief Technology Officer
- Michael Delaney, EDP Systems Analyst II
- Damien Esposito, Senior Software Administrator
- Yara Hentz, Senior Project Manager
- Kerri Hudzikiewicz, Manager, Operations Center
- Matthew Kozlowski, Cloud Architect III
- Michael Magee, Applications Specialist I
- Debra Martin, Senior Data Warehouse Specialist
- Roger Rice, Senior Software Administrator
- Michael Rooney, Senior Database Administration
- Monty Rosen, Senior Software Administrator
- Erin Rubinton, Principal Database Administration
- Kathy Sawyer, Applications Manager
- David Snigier, Cloud Architect III
- Euclides Velazco, Senior Network Specialist
- Carol Walsh, Director, Portfolio and Projects
Nominator
David Cho, Chief Procurement Officer
Recipients
- Neha Ajgaonkar, Data Analyst
- John Chayrigues, Associate Counsel
- Brian Coleman, Information Security Officer (Chan Medical School)
- Teri Delude, Senior Budget Manager (Amherst)
- Margaret Dias, Executive Director IT Service Assurance (Dartmouth)
- Dalila Dos Santos, Assistant Purchasing Manager (Amherst)
- Michael Durkin, Director, Strategic Procurement
- Steven Hall, Senior Director, Network and Communications Services (Lowell)
- Srinivasa Hari, Deputy CIO, Information Technology Operations (Chan Medical School)
- John Healey, Contracts and Strategic Sourcing Manager
- Charles Kotecki, Strategic Sourcing Specialist
- Allison Lepper, Associate Counsel
- James Mileski, Chief Technology Officer (Amherst)
- Neil Rosenburg, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Operations (Boston)
- Jacqueline Ryan, IT Operations and Procurement Coordinator (Dartmouth)
- Bill Smith, MIS Manager/Senior Director
- Kathie Terry, Purchasing Manager (Amherst)
Nominator
Jacquie Kittler, Director of Employee and Labor Relations
Recipients
- Jennifer Hitchcock, HR Coordinator
- Cheryl Millett, Coordinator
- Amy Thompson, Administrative Services and Operations Manager
- Patty Vantine, Administrative Affairs Manager
- Jillian Warren, Executive Administrative Specialist
Nominator
David Gingerella, VC/CFO Administration and Fiscal Services, UMass Dartmouth
Recipients
- Allison Bamforth – Program Manager
- Robert Jacob - Senior Applications Developer
- Jules Lipke – Principal Applications Developer
- Susan McHugh - Director, Student Technology Operations
- Michael Milligan, Vice President and CIO, UMass President’s Office
- David Nero, Assistant Vice President for Innovation and Operational Services, UMass President’s Office
- Laura Prudden - Student Records and Summit Student Lead
- Wendy Rothenbach – Senior Product Manager
- Scott Szajna – Principal App Specialist
- Bradford Smith, Chief Info Security Officer, UMass President’s Office
- Pam Theodore – Principal Data Warehouse Specialist
Individual Awards - Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance
- Deirdre Delaney, Manager, Financial Data and Analysis, Controller’s Office, Nominator-Kelly Gregory, Associate University Controller
- Julie Kenny, Systems Specialist II, UITS Nominator-Kelly Weeks, Manager, Desktop Support
- Bonnie Mathias, Procurement Manager, UPST, Nominator-Brian Girard, Director of Procurement Operations
- Kathryn Robinson, Analyst, Treasurer’s Office, Nominator-Kathey White, Director of Merchant Services and Unclaimed Property