MSRB (Massachusetts State Retirement Board) Member Statements coming in July, The MA State Board of Retirement will be mailing out member statements during the month of July. The statement reflects the balance of a member’s accumulated retirement contributions plus any interest the member’s account has accrued as of the end of last year. More information will be available on the MSRB website soon.
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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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Take advantage of the supplemental retirement plans that are offered by the University and the Commonwealth. UMass employees have the choice of contributing into the 403(b) plan which offers investments with Fidelity and TIAA and/or the 457(b) plan which offers investments with Empower Retirement. Please visit Section 5.1 of the Voluntary Benefits page on the HR website to learn more.
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The beginning of July marked an exciting milestone as we transitioned from the Service and Quality Team within Unified Procurement Services to our own dedicated department for supporting Administration and Finance (A&F). The new Access Team: Administration & Finance Support Services is now the primary line of support for campus stakeholders and partners and is responsible for providing…
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The UMPO Fellowship is a two-year program that provides recent UMass graduates with opportunities to explore various professional disciplines across the UMass President’s Office. Fellows are embedded in departments like Administration & Finance (A&F), University Information Technology Services (UITS), and Communications, where they gain hands-on experience through cross-functional…, From Nancy’s Perspective:, “Before the fellowship, I joined the UMass President’s Office in 2022 as an Institutional Research intern. After graduating from UMass Lowell in 2023, I transitioned into one of the first Business Analyst Fellows at UMPO. Over the course of the fellowship, I explored roles in data analytics, procurement, digital accessibility, and UX design. I collaborated with both A&F and UITS on a range of…, Project Manager with the UITS Project Management Office, , where I continue to support IT initiatives across the UMass system. I look forward to carrying the skills and insights I gained through the fellowship into this next chapter of my career.”, From Andrew’s Perspective:, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be one of the first fellows at the UMass President's Office after graduating from UMass Amherst in 2023 and working as an intern on the Supplier Relationship Management team within UPST. Within this professional development opportunity, I gained cross-functional experience between departments such as Administration & Finance, UITS, & Communications…, Communication Specialist on the Communications Team, .
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We’re thrilled to share that the UPST team has received the Procure-to-Pay Achievement Award at this year’s Jaggaer conference - a national recognition in the world of procurement and supply chain. This award highlights UPST’s significant strides in automating processes, improving accuracy, and driving cost savings across the University. One standout achievement: reducing manual invoice…
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New Hires, Name Hire Date Title Department Yusheng Ding 7/14/25 Sr Director of Finance UMBA Sekelile Mkhabela 7/14/25 Data Analyst IR Academic Affairs Jasree Powers 7/14/25 Electronic Computer Oper II UITS, Promotions, Name Promotion Date Title Department Peter Gray-Mullen 7/1/25 Director of Capital Projects UMBA Anna Zuev 7/7/25 Manager, Innovation & Ops Innovation Andrew Buroni 7/7/25 Communications Specialist Communications Maria Apse 7/13/25 Deputy CIO UITS Emmanuel Asenso 7/13/25 Auditor III Internal Audit Sudharshan Baswa 7/13/25 Financial Analyst II University Controller Taylor Boutwell 7/13/25…
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