On June 18, 2025, the Administration & Finance (A&F) team gathered for a vibrant and informative Town Hall that highlighted the division’s resilience, innovation, and commitment to service. Hosted by Kelly Gregory, the event brought together voices from across the system to reflect on recent achievements, share critical updates, and chart the path forward. , Federal Funding in Focus , Directors Monica Jackson and Deirdre Delaney delivered a timely update on the evolving federal grants landscape. Despite a turbulent start to 2025—with delays, new justification requirements, and increased scrutiny, UMass responded with agility. A revamped draw request strategy helped reduce payment delays, and credit ratings remained stable thanks to strong financial oversight. , Accessibility Takes Center Stage, Digital accessibility was a key theme, with Claudia Cortes outlining the University’s commitment to ADA compliance. With a compliance deadline of April 2026, A&F is actively reviewing websites, third-party tools, procurement processes, and employee training to ensure equitable access for all., By the Numbers: Departmental Highlights , Eight departments shared impressive metrics and milestones, presented by some of A&F’s best and brightest: , Budget Office, – Presented by Sara MacKenzie Managing a $4.3B budget, producing over 1,200 pages of reports, and tracking $2.1B in capital project spending., Employee Services Team (Payroll & Travel/Expense), – Presented by Caitrin Merrill & Erika O’Malley Processed 42K+ W-2s, $2B in gross pay, and 76K+ expense reports, with 25K active employees supported., Application Specialists (EST), – Presented by Elijah Collins Maintains 200+ PeopleSoft programs, supports $168M/month in payroll, and manages 150+ system interfaces., Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), – Presented by Samantha Wallace Tracks 31 systemwide risks and 133 mitigation strategies, with national recognition for the MATRX tool., Human Resources , – Presented by Diane Pelletier Processed 18.5K+ HR transactions and managed 40 union contracts across all campuses., Innovation & Operational Services, – Presented by Jacob Sturtz & Andrew Buroni Delivered 12 roadmap projects and supported 13 enterprise applications with 1,751 cases closed in FY25., Treasury & Operations, – Presented by Ben Johnson & Molly Lynch Managed $141M in investment income, 163K credit card transactions/month, and filed $10.5M in energy credits., Unified Procurement Services Team (UPST) , – Presented by Jazemine Belkin, Ashley Tejada & Evanthia Tully Oversaw $1.07B in spend, processed 275K invoices, and created 2,000+ contracts annually. , Evolving for Impact: The Access Team, David Nero introduced the new A&F Support Services Access Team, launching July 1. This team will centralize customer service across A&F, offering a single point of contact and a new Customer Service Rotation Program for staff development. It’s a bold step toward a more unified, responsive A&F. , Roadmap 6.5: Strategic Vision Ahead , Amy Ryan shared updates on the A&F Roadmap, which continues to guide strategic initiatives across the division. With 21 projects on track for completion by the end of FY25, Roadmap 6.5 will build on this momentum with a renewed focus on leadership, shared services, and ERP strategy. , Closing Reflections , Senior Vice President Lisa Calise closed the event with gratitude and encouragement, highlighting the collective achievements of the A&F team and the importance of staying connected to our mission. , Photos from the Town Hall
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By Kate Carroll, Sr. Applications Specialist, UITS UMass Dartmouth MSTM Graduate - Class of 2025 In addition to my current role supporting international applications here in UITS, I’ve also been pursuing a master’s degree in technology management through UMass Dartmouth’s online program. This spring—just before (finally) walking across a rainy stage to collect my symbolic diploma jacket (…
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The IT Conference held at UMass Dartmouth on June 5, 2025 was attended by over 200 UMass Information Technology employees across all campuses. This was an annual event prior to Covid and our Dartmouth contemporaries celebrated the opportunity to reboot this important occasion to gather, network and learn amongst campus colleagues. Vala Afshar was the keynote speaker and gave a lively discussion…, CIO Fireside Chat, , moderated by Peggy Dias of UMD, included rapid-fire questions, along with one uniquely specific question posed to each of our six UMass CIOs. Rapid-Fire Questions/Answers: There are now 25 hours in a day, what do you do with that last hour…In 3 words or less? Michael Milligan (UMPO) – Sleep, Eat, Drink Michael Cipriano (Lowell) – Definitely Recreational Ray Lefebvre (Boston) – Time with Family…, UMass Boston, will host the IT Conference next year, so be on the lookout for your invitation to participate and attend the 2026 IT Conference at UMB. Thank you to UMass Dartmouth for hosting and to the 2025 IT Conference Committee:
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New Hires, Name Hire Date Title Department Colin Foley 8/1/25 Sr. Contracts Specialist UPST Erin Walker 8/1/25 Assoc Counsel, IT & Data Priv Office of General Counsel Evgeny Vorobyev 8/4/25 Internal Auditor, IT, Sr. Internal Audit Lori Randall 8/26/25 Contracts Specialist UPST
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Elbows and grease - Is what is needed to help keep 50 Washington looking fresh and dressed to impress. Which is what happened on Wednesday, August 13th, as a dedicated team lead by Jillian Warren, oversaw by Lucas Carter, and like the mythical goddess Athena springing forth from Zeus’s mind, came into existence by Amy Thompson as “Operation Clean and Shine”. With the help of Jade Yacino, Sara…
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We are excited to officially welcome, Colin Foley, to the UPST team as a new addition (and a new dad)! You may recognize Colin's name, as he has worked with UPST for about a year as a temporary contractor. With a strong background in contracts, having served as both a Paralegal and Proposal Manager, Colin has made a seamless transition into the Contracts team from the beginning., Background, Colin is a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned a BS in Kinesiology. Before he stepped into his role in the President’s Office, he gained valuable experience at the real estate law firm Ligris and the innovative commercial lighting and design company, Signify., Role at UMass, Colin is a friendly and dedicated Senior Contract Specialist who manages procurement contracts and systemwide agreements while mentoring new team members. He loves to lend a helping hand across all campuses and is always ready to support his colleagues and handle his daily responsibilities on his assigned campus. Colin has worked on many projects, where his flexibility and team spirit truly shine!, Personal Interests, Colin grew up in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, a place that used to be famous as the carnation capital of the world! He loves spending his free time on the golf course and having fun in a men’s hockey league. Exciting news—Colin recently welcomed his first child into the world just a few weeks ago! , Looking Ahead, Colin is excited about the future! He understands the importance of taking things one step at a time to ensure he does his best work, even in a fast-paced environment. Colin has a keen interest in attending law school, but no matter what path he takes, he’ll definitely keep learning and growing within the UMass System. We’re so grateful to have Colin on the UPST team, and we can’t wait to see…
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We are proud of our, internship program, , which gives students from UMass campuses the opportunity to gain hands-on business experience across all areas of the UMass President’s Office Administration and Finance functions. This summer, six Access interns took on an exciting challenge:, a chatbot proof-of-concept competition, to explore how AI could help the Access team connect with campus stakeholders and partners and enhance the tier 1 support we provide. Over a few weeks, the interns, divided into two assigned teams, worked together to design a concept, build a business case, and develop a chatbot prototype. From the beginning, both groups approached the project with curiosity, collaboration, and a focus on solving…, Team B, consisted of interns, Mhammed Mrabet, Salini Thiraviyarajah, and Pragathi Kempegowda, . They created Access Buddy Jr., a chatbot for new hires, interns, current Access employees, and potential future team members. The bot streamlined new staff onboarding, covering key tools, acronym decoding, and first-week tasks, while also acting as a quick resource finder for documents, file paths, and essential links. With features like exploration mode, interactive learning, and a centralized…, Team A, comprised of interns, Victoria Nault, Aditya Wanve, and Carissa Dwyer, . They developed Rookie Bot, a supplier-facing assistant that automates common procurement lookups. It retrieves payment details, supplier registration status, contract information, and request statuses. The bot handles single and multiple matches, provides clear error messages with UPST contact information, and can answer free-form procurement questions. Rookie Bot could reduce response times…, Congratulations to you all!,
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Every day, we’re hearing more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s changing our lives, both at work and in our personal lives. At UMass, we’ve brought together a diverse team to explore how AI can make a difference in our professional lives. The goal of the, AI Hub, is to share useful insights and support everyone as we navigate this exciting journey together! Recently, three in-person training sessions were held in Westborough and Boston, and it was truly refreshing to see so many faces in the same room, exchanging ideas and learning how to harness AI technology responsibly here at UMass., Training Highlights: Leading the Way with AI, Our training sessions were expertly led by, Shawn Skelly, , with support from, Jacquie Kittler, . Together, they guided attendees through the essential UMass President's Office AI Acceptable Use Guidelines, emphasizing data privacy, security, and ethical AI use. Here’s what was explored:, What is AI?, A brief overview of what artificial intelligence is and the different types. , AI Tools 101:, How AI can streamline your work and spark innovation., UMPO AI Guidelines:, Clear do’s and don’ts to protect university data and uphold our community values., Open Q&A:, An interactive forum where your questions and concerns were thoughtfully addressed., Why This Training Matters, As AI becomes an everyday tool, understanding and applying these guidelines is critical for safeguarding our work and our institution. The enthusiasm and insightful discussions during the sessions showed just how ready we are to embrace AI responsibly and confidently., Missed the Training? We’ve Got You Covered!, If you couldn’t make it to a session or have more questions about AI use, please reach out anytime: Jacquie Kittler – jkittler@umassp.edu Shawn Skelly – sskelly@umassp.edu We’re here to support and guide you through integrating these guidelines into your work.
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The UMass President’s Office hosted two dynamic sessions of the Senior and Middle Manager Development series on May 14 and May 21, 2025, in the Commonwealth Room. These sessions brought together leaders from across the system to deepen their understanding of critical topics shaping the university’s future. The first session on May 14th began with remarks from John Dunlap, Chief Human Resources…
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TASC is moving to a new, state-of-the-art card processing platform. It’s a foundation that will support, future enhancements and innovation, with the TASC Card and the MyTASC platform. As part of this move, TASC will be issuing new FSA cards. , New cards will be mailed out to participants and their dependents on June 9, 2025. , Watch for an email from TASC and check your mail for the new TASC FSA cards. , TASC will need to, deactivate their current cards on June 7, 2025, . This means there will be a period of about 3-4 days (more or less, depending on USPS) when new cards are in the mail and current cards will no longer work. See this informational flyer for how to request reimbursement for an expense you paid out of pocket. , NEED HELP?, Online Support:, Sign into MyTASC and go to Support › Contact Us, Customer Care:, Call 800-745-9202 Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm
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