Join the DEIA Team for a Film Screening of “Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act”, Date: Friday, July 25, 2025 Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Location: Virtual Zoom Viewing “Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act” tells the story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined people…, About Disability Pride Month and the Disability Rights Movement , Disability Pride has been celebrated by the disability community since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston, Massachusetts in July 1990. In 2015, on the 25th anniversary of the ADA, the disability community decided to establish Disability Pride Month to recognize the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the…
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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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DEIA Calendar, The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance., Month-Long Events, Monday, September 1, 2025 – Tuesday, September 30, 2025: National Guide Dog Month Monday, September 15, 2025 - Wednesday, October 15, 2025: Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Heritage Month , Date-Specific Events, Monday, September 1: Labor Day Thursday, September 4 – Friday, September 5: Eid Milad ul-Nabi (Islam) Sunday, September 7: Brazil’s Independence Day Tuesday, September 16: Mexican Independence Day Thursday, September 18: Air Force Birthday Thursday, September 18: National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day Sunday, September 21: International Day of Peace Monday, September 22 – Sunday, September 28…, Additional Awareness Communications this Month, The DEIA Communications team is sending out individual communications around the following awareness events this month: UMass Cancer Walk Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx Heritage Month Air Force Birthday
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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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New Hires, Name Hire Date Title Department Farokh Bhada 5/12/25 Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer UMBA Matthew Reader 5/12/25 Program Manager UITS, Departures, Name Departure Date Title Department Brian Burke 6/27/25 Amherst Deputy General Counsel OGC
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