Beacons - Spring 2023

BEACONS

a monumental moment

AS LEADERS OF EMBRACE BOSTON, ALUMNI PAUL ENGLISH AND IMARI PARIS

JEFFRIES ARE WORKING TO MAKE BOSTON A CITY FOR THE TIMES.

During November’s Beacon Spirit Days event, the UMass Boston community packed the Campus Center terrace for two days of music, performances, and raffles celebrating what it means to be a Beacon.

Contents

SPRING

FEATURES

14 A Monumental Moment

The unveiling of Boston’s new King memorial is just the beginning for two UMass Boston alums looking to take equity and justice in the city to the next level.

20 Beyond the Bagpipes

Ken Casey ’22 talks Boston, music, and how a focus on education helped him rewrite his own Murphy’s Law.

24 Picture Perfect

As curator of photographs for the Getty Museum, Paul Martineau ’98 uses both scholarship and savvy to drive his success.

26 Making a Splash

Sofya Gray ’16 launches a fashion-forward swimwear line with sustainability at the helm.

DEPARTMENTS

ON

Beacons Paul English ’87, G’89, H’19 and Imari Paris Jeffries ’97, G’99, G’03, PhD’23 in front of The Embrace on Boston Common. Photo by Ed Collier.

SEE PAGE 14

For this issue of Beacons, we asked our alumni and current students:

What’s the best piece of advice you received in college?

“Treat every interaction as an opportunity to open a new door, either personally or professionally. Served me very well after graduating while looking for career opportunities.”

—ANDREW FOX ’11

“

Your degree is one of the few things that can never be taken away from you.”

—MONIQUE

Who was your favorite UMass Boston professor?

For our next issue, send your answers to alumni@umb.edu.

Don’t forget to include your full name and class year!

“Don’t be afraid to branch out and try new things.”

—SHUBHANKAR

“SHUBI” JOSHI ’17

“Ninety percent of being successful is just being on time.”

—HEATHER FABIANO ’03

“The world will throw countless obstacles in your way. Be steadfast in your pursuit of your goals. Don’t let anything stand in your way.”

—EVAGRIO “VAAG” MOSCA ’75

“Don’t worry how long your journey takes. Everything will fall into place.”

—MARLEN GODINEZ ’20

“That striving for perfection all the time is unrealistic, and not let the fear of making mistakes or not meeting expectations hold me back.”

—ADI EDELHAUS ’26

LANNIEEN AUSTIN ’01, G’05

CREATIVE EXPRESSION IS A CORNERSTONE of higher education and foundational to a thriving democracy. Art, in all its genres—from music to sculpture, from theater to photography, from architecture to design—generates ideas and feelings, and gives perspective on existence and meaning across time and cultures.

In this edition of Beacons magazine, we share the stories of Beacons whose creative passion for addressing important issues has led to transformative accomplishments for the greater good.

Our cover story highlights the efforts of Imari Paris Jeffries ’97, G’99, G’03, PhD’23 and Paul English ’87, G’89, H’19 to bring The Embrace to the Boston Common, 20-foot-high bronze sculpture intertwined arms and hands of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, and one of the largest memorials ever dedicated to love, peace, and racial equality.

Another piece chronicles the work of art history senior lecturer Carol G.J. Scollans ’84 to curate an exhibit at our University Hall and Walter Grossman Memorial galleries last fall, showcasing the photography of late Professor Emerita Melissa Shook, whose creations humanize marginalized communities.

In this issue, you will also learn about a collaboration between our Stone Living Lab, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and an

BEACONS

Chancellor

Marcelo Suárez-Orozco

Provost

Joseph Berger

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement

Adam Wise

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement

Allison Duffy

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Principal and Leadership Gifts

Andrea Kennedy

Director of Alumni Engagement

Steven Whittemore

Communications Specialist

Vanessa Chatterley

Australian environmental organization to deploy blue tech innovation in the form of living seawalls to preserve Boston’s coastal environments and advance climate justice.

We talk with Ken Casey ’22, front man for the Dropkick Murphys, who in his most recent album uses his music and the lyrics of Woody Guthrie to confront fascism and the abuse of power.

And you will read about Sofya Gray ’16, whose keen interest in fashion design, ethical consumption, and sustainability sparked her entrepreneurial spirit and deepened her commitment to rid the world’s oceans of plastics waste.

The work of these Beacons reflects relentless exploration of social issues through creative lenses and imagination. And it spotlights the struggle for justice, peace, and awareness, aimed at lifting people up and spawning fresh narratives and new possibilities for social action.

This view of the world as an open canvas will always be an important strand of the Beacon ethos. And Columbia Point will always be a destination for the arts—a place where creativity is nurtured and where humanity in all its beautiful diversity flourishes.

Sincerely,

MARCELO SUÁREZ-OROZCO Chancellor

Art Director

Kaajal Asher kaajalasher.com

Copy Editor

Sasha Nyary sashanyary.com

Contributors

Danielle Bilotta

Austyn Ellese Mayfield

Crystal Valencia G’14

David Walberg

Photos and Illustrations

Louisa Cannell

Ed Collier

Gillian Gordon

Bartosz Kosowski

Javier Rivas

Dave Stauble

Beacons magazine celebrates the accomplishments and impact of the UMass Boston community and the lasting connection alumni and friends have with UMass Boston, Boston State College, and our legacy schools.

We welcome your inquiries, ideas, and comments. Please share them with the UMass Boston Alumni Engagement team at 617.287.5330 or alumni@umb.edu.

The work of art is to imagine and reimagine possibility and transformation.

The Tea

POLITICIANS ON THE POINT

Columbia Point welcomed dignitaries from the State House, White House, U.S. House of Representatives, and Buckingham Palace in recent months:

• SEPTEMBER 12: On the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s famed “moonshot” speech, President Joe Biden visited the JFK Library to announce a new goal for the government’s Cancer Moonshot initiative: cutting the U.S. cancer death rate in half within 25 years.

• OCTOBER 12: Former Attorney General Maura Healey, now Massachusetts governor, and former Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll, now lieutenant governor, toured the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences Center for Clinical Education and Research.

• DECEMBER 2: Prince William acknowledged the inspiration of President Kennedy with a stop at the JFK Library during his visit to Boston to celebrate the 2023 awarding of the £1 million Earthshot Prize, which he co-founded in 2020 to spur climate change solutions. School for the Environment Interim Dean Bob Chen served on Boston’s Earthshot Host Committee.

• JANUARY 20: U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch visited the university’s nursing simulation lab to announce $3 million in new funding for the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The federal funds will be used to create a home care digital and simulation lab at UMass Boston to train nurses in evolving home-care technologies, with emphasis on patients who are aging, disabled, or have experienced health disparities.

UMass Boston to Add Women’s Lacrosse to Varsity Programs

With the addition of women’s lacrosse, UMass Boston will offer a total of 19 intercollegiate programs competing at the Division III level. The team will participate in the Little East Conference, with the first varsity season set for 2024.

“We are thrilled to be adding a women’s lacrosse program, as this has been a priority for UMass Boston,” said Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “And our timing could not be better—while we add another women’s program to our successful athletics department, we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX.”

Women’s lacrosse is one of the fastest growing college sports in the country, said Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Recreation

Jacqueline Schuman, with 291 women’s programs at the Division III level, 44 more than the men’s.

“Given the great success we have had with our men’s lacrosse program, we believe that the addition of the women’s program will reap similar rewards and strengthen the future success of both programs,” she said. “The goal is that, as the only public research institution in the city of Boston, we will attract talent that will grow our program to be one of the best in the nation.”

Partners from enrollment to employment

A flurry of recent gifts from corporate and foundation donors is helping the university put into practice a key tenet of its new strategic plan: holistic student success. Through initiatives bolstering college preparation, financial aid, academic and career advising, and experiential learning, these gifts aim to help students navigate college admissions, succeed in coursework, and graduate ready to land career-launching jobs. At the same time, they help build a diverse pipeline of potential employees for our industry partners.

“The university is very intentionally building programmatic pathways to support student success from high school through college and beyond,” said Provost Joe Berger. “We are immensely grateful to our partners who are engaging in this vital work with us.”

UMass Boston is working with Boston Public Schools to launch early college pilot programs at three high schools, giving students access to instruction, support services, mentoring, and tutoring from UMass Boston faculty, advisors, and students. In December, the Smith Family Foundation pledged $1.9 million to support these programs over the next three academic years. The State Street Foundation is supporting the current pilot phase with an initial $150,000 investment.

In December, the McMillan-Stewart Foundation established a $900,000 endowed scholarship program for students graduating from Boston public schools.

Software developer MathWorks gave $1 million in September to launch the MathWorks Scholars Program, which, starting this fall, will provide scholarships and dedicated academic advising and career-readiness training for students with a variety of MathWorks-aligned career interests.

2022 BEACONS BESTOW THANKSGIVING MEAL DRIVE

In December, an anonymous foundation pledged $1.2 million to implement best practices in data-informed academic and career advising.

258 MEALS

For students and their families

233 DONORS Alumni, parents, faculty, and staff

$25,861

RAISED

2/5

UMass Boston students experience food insecurity

1,253

U-ACCESS food pantry orders during 2021–22 academic year

2,094

U-ACCESS food pantry orders during 2022–23 fall semester

Since 2013, UMass Boston’s U-ACCESS food pantry has provided emergency grocery items and supplies to students with limited access to healthy meals. Learn more at www.umb.edu/uaccess.

Student’s Princess Program Goes Global

SINCE 2017, nursing student Alyssa Banks ’23 has led the Princess Program Foundation, a nonprofit organization that brings magic to the lives of children battling serious illnesses through one-on-one hospital visits with volunteers dressed as their favorite princesses and superheroes. The organization was initially inspired by a conversation Banks once had with a child who said she would “never get to go to Disney.”

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Banks to adapt the program to virtual Zoom meetings but the program was able to return to in-hospital visits last spring.

For one of their first visits, UMass Boston students traveled to Advent Health for Children in Orlando, Florida. Lauren McGuirk ’24, a criminal justice and psychology major, dressed as Elsa from Frozen and visited individual hospital rooms, where she colored with the children and handed out toys donated from supporters.

“Being around children who are so brave and strong and being able to give them even a moment of joy is something I want to be able to happen for as many others as possible,” McGuirk said. “Every time I volunteer, it’s more fulfilling than the last.”

There’s something special about an inperson visit, Banks said, but she has no plans to stop the Zoom meetings, which have allowed the foundation to reach over 5,000 children in the U.S. and around the world so far.

“It’s really incredible if you stop and think about the possibilities in a virtual world,” she said. “Just the other day, the Beauty princess had a call with a child from Poland, who was overjoyed getting to talk to her favorite character.”

Continuing with the global reach, the foundation is now giving children a “brave buddy,” a doll created by Bravery Buddies, a nonprofit based in Australia. The doll matches the child’s eye and skin color—and change in

University Welcomes New Education Dean

Tara L. Parker has been named dean of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Dean Parker, professor of higher education in the leadership education department, has held several leadership roles at the university, including department chair and interim dean.

“We are very fortunate to have Tara stepping into this critical role,” said Provost Joseph Berger. “To get a leader who knows UMass Boston so well, who is an expert in higher education, who has devoted their career and their scholarship to inclusive excellence, anti-racism, and enhancing higher education, particularly in terms of access and opportunity—Tara is the ideal leader to steer CEHD into the future.”

“I am incredibly honored to serve as dean of

CEHD, my academic home for so many years,” said Dean Parker. “I look forward to continuing to work with our students, faculty, and staff to advance these commitments in our research, teaching, and practice.”

Dean Parker is the co-author of three books and multiple peerreviewed articles and chapters. She is a board member of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley as well as Another Course to College. She serves on the editorial board of the American Educational Research Journal and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.

Dean Parker earned a doctorate in higher education from New York University, a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Marist College.

hair, because of chemotherapy treatments. Banks said the goal with the new dolls is to remind the children that they are beautiful, strong, and can handle anything.

“It’s groundbreaking to see the connection the children have with these characters,” she said. “They provide something that is unmatched. I wish we could all see the world through a child’s eyes.”

John Drew, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, on UMass Boston becoming a partner in Amazon’s Career Choice program, which provides eligible workers up to $5,250 per year in tuition assistance at participating universities.

“ UMass Boston is proud to work with Amazon and their employees to help make their goal of obtaining a college degree possible.”

Student Q&A: Beeban Jikiemi-Pearson ’26

A sport leadership major, Beeban calls opening her acceptance letter to UMass Boston her “proudest moment.” She relocated from England to fulfill her dream of becoming a student-athlete as a guard on the women's basketball team.

Q: What made you choose UMass Boston?

A multicultural learning environment was important to me when I was looking at universities and UMass Boston is the third-most diverse school in the United States. As someone coming from a different culture, I felt it would mean I would be accepted and welcomed—and I am glad to say that I was. I came to Boston as part of a trip with my high school basketball team in 2019 and absolutely loved it. The city reminds me a lot of London through the architecture. The campus being so close to the city without being in the heart of it stood out to me. I knew I would be able to enjoy the city but also experience a completely new lifestyle of living on the coast.

Q: What has it been like to attend a university in the United States?

It has been really refreshing to learn a range of subjects again. For example, this semester I took courses in young adult literature, Black history, and women and gender studies. The biggest change is living away from home and not being able to see my family whenever I want. It has been hard. But my teammates and coaches and other athletic staff have been supportive and understanding and made it easier for me to adjust and find what works for me.

Q: What is one of your favorite moments at UMass Boston?

Volunteering with my teammates at a local elementary school on Halloween and helping to set up and supervise the games for the children. It was nice to feel part of the community and I even got to go through the haunted house. It was surprisingly scary.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience as a Beacon?

Going to New York with my team for an in-season tournament. I got to bond with my team and explore such an amazing city with them.

Q: Who at UMass Boston has had the most influence on your life?

My teammates and friends have had the most influence on my life here. They have been so welcoming and caring. And they have always been as enthusiastic about learning about my life and culture as they have been about introducing me to theirs.

Q: What are your goals after graduation?

I have always been really interested in sports economics and how that coincides with sports statistics and analytics, even before applying to UMass Boston. I would love to pursue that after graduation. Boston is home to the MIT Sloane Sports Analytics Conference, where students, researchers, and industry professionals discuss the increasing role of analytics in the sports industry. Having the opportunity to study here feels like the perfect place to pursue this interest.

Q: What would you tell an international student considering UMass Boston? UMass Boston is super diverse, which has made it a forward-thinking and welcoming place to study. It is also in a beautiful, historic city with many things to do.

Last winter, the UMass Boston Choruses explored centuries of music by women composers through a concert called “Women Listen.” “The voices of women throughout history have been raised, the level of artistic achievement has been significant, but too often, particularly in music history, they rarely receive the amplification they should,” said chorus conductor David Giessow. “This concert doesn’t seek to correct that, as no one evening of music could, but it is as a conscious choice to explore compositions by women throughout history in a way that feels relevant for this moment.”

This program was sponsored by the Alumni Association. Each year, the Alumni Board of Directors grants over $20,000 in sponsorship funds for student and faculty programming.

Getting to Know Melissa Shook: Inside and Out

An art exhibition showcasing the works of the late Professor Emerita Melissa Shook brought together art appreciators from all over the Boston area earlier this year.

Presented in a two-part retrospective at the University Hall Gallery and in the Walter Grossman Memorial Gallery, Melissa Shook: Inside and Out ran through September 2022, with a closing reception and exhibition catalogue launch in January 2023. In that time, more than 500 people visited the exhibition, many of whom were former students or colleagues of the professor, who passed away in 2020.

Gallery director Sam Toabe, who co-curated the collection alongside art history senior lecturer Carol G.J. Scollans ’84, said this number is a testament to the respect and admiration Shook garnered throughout her esteemed career. Shook joined UMass Boston in 1979, teaching photography in the Department of Art & Art History and

leaving an indelible mark on the department’s pedagogy, as well as generations of students.

“She dedicated over 30 years of her life to teaching at UMass Boston,” said Toabe. “Because of her commitment, both to the department and the university, it’s important to honor her and to see the effect that she had on our department. She was so important to generations of faculty and students.”

Shook was best known for her self-portraits and documentary-style photography representing and humanizing marginalized communities. Throughout her career, her practice expanded to include writing, book making, drawing, sculpture, video art, and social practice art through direct action and mutual aid projects.

Shook’s daughter, Kristina, said seeing her mother’s work on display was a “profound and deeply emotional experience.”

“The thoughtful curation highlighted my mother’s wide range of photography, expansive art, and personal ephemera,” she said. “I will always remember the University Hall Gallery and the Grossmann Gallery exhibition with fondness and heartfelt appreciation for those who made it such a success.”

Shook’s exhibition was launched contemporaneously with the establishment of the Melissa Shook Documentary Photography Award, which was made possible with a generous gift from Nancy Lutz ’82 and her husband, Wendell. The fund will provide an annual prize to one or more students who have demonstrated exceptional skill or promise in photography.

“[Shook] instilled in me a lifetime passion for and commitment to the world of images,” said Lutz. “To celebrate Melissa’s impact on me and so many others through her generous teaching and unparalleled photographic work, I established this award.”

Alumni and Faculty Bookshelf

English professor Askold Melnyczuk tells eight different stories in The Man Who Would Not Bow. The book follows a journalist in a Middle Eastern war zone, an unemployed actor struggling with elder care, members of a commune planning to kidnap a priest, a torturer’s mother, and Nikolai Gogol wrestling with his angels and demons. Melnyczuk has published four novels that have variously been named a New York Times Notable, an LA Times Best Book of the Year, and a Booklist Editors' Choice by the American Library Association. He has received a three-year Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award in Fiction, and the George Garrett Award from the Association of Writers & Writing Programs for his contributions to the literary community.

In Just River, Sara B. Fraser G’99 tells the story of Sam, a cross-dresser with a voice like Tina Turner, and his best friend, Carol, a cashier who stress eats. Together the two prove their mettle when trying to save Carol’s wrongfully imprisoned daughter, Garnet. Just River is currently a finalist in the following contests: 2021 Foreword Indies adult fiction finalist (humor); 2021 SPR Book Awards finalist; 2022 Maxy Awards literary-humor runner-up; 2022 American Fiction Award winner (humor/comedy/satire);

2022 IAN Book of the Year finalist (general fiction & LGBTQ fiction); and 2022 American Writing Awards finalist (general fiction & humor).

The characters in Northwest of Boston, written by Stephen O’Connor’s G’89, fully live the human drama in stories that range from the humorous to the poignant. They go to the crossroads to face their demons, come to terms with the fleeting nature of life and love, and find the courage to follow their own compass. For some, that means an evolution, for others, a steadfast embrace of a world that is passing away. O’Connor has published stories in numerous literary journals. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-published historical novel The Spy in the City of Books

In Urban Rehearsals and Novel Plots in the Early American City, English professor Betsy Klimasmith sheds new light on the literature of the early U.S. by exploring how literature, theater, architecture, and images worked together to allow readers to imagine themselves as urbanites even before cities developed. In the four decades following the Revolutionary War, the new nation was a loose network of nascent cities connected by print. Before a national culture could develop, local city cultures had to take shape. Literary texts played key roles in helping new Americans become city people.

Deep Dive into Blue Tech

There is an ocean of opportunity off the coast of Columbia Point. The marine environment that covers 70 percent of the globe is home to a booming ocean-based economy. The rising demand for tools to support ocean exploration, aquaculture, offshore wind power, coastal resilience, and more is creating a tremendous need for innovations in what’s known as blue technology.

The commonwealth is looking to UMass Boston to help make those advances happen. Last October, the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council awarded the university a $820,000 innovation grant to bring new research and development tools to campus and spur engagement with blue tech startups. The funding will also expand the university’s existing partnership with Boston-based SeaAhead, an organization

launched in 2018 to support startups focused on innovation and sustainability in the world’s oceans.

“We are thrilled to be launching Project BEACON with support from the Seaport Economic Council,” said UMass Boston Provost Joseph Berger. “Climate equity is a strategic priority for UMass Boston, and this partnership with SeaAhead is an ideal opportunity for us to advance the blue tech economy and contribute to the sustainability of our oceans and coastal areas.”

The grant, spearheaded by School for the Environment Interim Dean Bob Chen, will launch Project BEACON (Blue tech, Energy, Aquaculture Coastal and Ocean Needs), an initiative to boost the core facilities at UMass Boston to better support small blue tech companies and entrepreneurs who need advanced facilities

to construct, test, and launch prototypes. Startups will be able to access an array of upgraded resources here, including a machine shop, a field prep facility, and increased direct waterfront access via the Fox Point Dock. The grant also allows for the purchase of a particle-size analyzer and an autonomous surface vessel for much-needed ocean floor mapping in the region.

Boosting the state’s R&D infrastructure was a key part of former Governor Charlie Baker’s administration’s economic development efforts, and creating opportunities for students is also a goal of the grant.

“SeaAhead was formed around the concept of creating a new blue tech economic cluster in New England,” said Alissa Peterson, cofounder and executive director of SeaAhead. “The BEACON project will accelerate this effort

With a major state grant and new collaborations, UMass Boston is becoming a Hub hotspot for emerging ocean technology.

Leaders of the Stone Living Lab and Living Seawalls met in December to discuss their new collaboration in Boston Harbor.

by providing access to critically needed infrastructure for the startups. The proximity of these startups will also create career opportunities for the diverse pool of talented students that attend UMass.”

Interim Dean Chen hopes Project BEACON will introduce opportunities for students to get to know and learn from an entrepreneurial mindset. He is confident that blue tech innovation has found a natural home at UMass Boston.

“Boston is an ideal place in the nation to do blue tech,” he said. “The brain power here is incredible. We’re a major coastal urban city with a demographic that has been left out of ocean blue tech. And UMass Boston is unique within Boston—the public research university, on the T, with entry into Boston Harbor and the ocean. We are the portal.”

WALLS TO WILDERNESS

The Stone Living Lab and Living Seawalls plan to turn Boston Harbor’s hardscapes into thriving habitats

The Australian blue tech company Living Seawalls and Boston’s Stone Living Lab announced on December 1, 2022, that they will partner for an ecological restoration project on Boston Harbor’s coastal seawalls to support the region’s climate resiliency efforts.

The Stone Living Lab a collaboration among UMass Boston’s School for the Environment, Boston Harbor Now, the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, and local, state, and federal government offices—was established in 2020 to research nature-based approaches for building coastal resilience in waterfront urban areas like Boston. Later this year, lab researchers will work with community members to identify two sites in Boston Harbor where concrete panels from Living Seawalls will be installed on existing seawall structures.

The modular panels are designed for “bringing life back to built structures,” said Katherine Dafforn, associate professor at Macquarie University and cofounder of the Living Seawalls project. These habitat units feature various bumps, ridges, and holes that mimic natural shoreline ecosystems like rock pools and crevices. They will be fitted in scalable mosaics onto existing seawalls in Boston Harbor. The goal is to increase the habitat area available for critical marine life, such as shellfish, tunicates, and seaweed. They will also protect marine life from elevated temperatures and predators. The partnership was announced as Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited Boston to celebrate the Earthshot Prize. The international award, launched in 2020 by William and inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot program, is designed

to discover, spotlight, and scale up groundbreaking solutions to global environmental challenges in five key categories. In 2021, Living Seawalls was named a finalist for the Earthshot Prize to Revive our Oceans.

“Construction is a growing source of biodiversity loss in our seas,” said Dafforn. “This project will showcase the amazing benefits to be gained by designing built structures for both humans and nature.”

UMass Boston research has shown that Boston Harbor’s coastal communities are threatened by coastal flooding, a threat that will grow due to climate change. The university is “honored” to collaborate with Living Seawalls to test the power of their prototype “to help improve biodiversity and manage flooding in Boston Harbor,” said Paul Kirshen, a School for the Environment professor and research director of the Stone Living Lab.

By Austyn Ellese Mayfield

a monumental moment

AMID A SLEW OF EXCITING INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE RECENT UNVEILING OF THE EMBRACE MEMORIAL ON BOSTON COMMON, UMASS BOSTON ALUMNI PAUL ENGLISH AND IMARI PARIS JEFFRIES ARE KEY FIGURES IN THE WORK TO MAKE BOSTON A CITY FOR THE TIMES.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED COLLIER AND JAVIER RIVAS

The Embrace memorial was created by artist Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group and takes its inspiration from a 1964 photograph of the Kings, wrapped tightly in a hug at the news of Dr. King being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Itwas an unseasonably warm January day as hundreds of people gathered on the Boston Common—the world’s oldest public park—for the unveiling of the world’s newest commemoration of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Known simply as “The Embrace,” the 19-ton bronze sculpture that features a rendering of the Kings’ lovingly intertwined arms stands two stories tall on a stone plaza, less than a mile from where the couple had their first date.

For decades, the Kings’ connection to Boston and their Back Bay–based love story remained anecdotal at best, a footnote to their more chronicled civil rights work in the South. So, in September 2017, when entrepreneur and activist Paul English ’87, G’89, H’19 learned more about the story, he saw an opportunity.

“The country was facing an increase of nationalist rhetoric, a lot of racist rhetoric. And I wanted to do something here in our city,“ English said. “So, when I found out that Martin and Coretta actually met in Boston, I felt like we needed to celebrate that origin story more.”

Proposals and calls for a prominent King memorial in Boston had been suggested over the years, but few had made it beyond the early ideation phase. English, who is self-admittedly “extremely action-oriented,” set up a $1 million seed fund for the project through The Boston Foundation and told then-Mayor Marty Walsh about the newly established fund the next day.

“I told him, ‘I’m going to go raise the rest of the money. I guarantee we’ll have the money to make this happen. Then [Walsh] announced it at a press conference a week later, and we became a real project,” said English.

With that, the organization that would ultimately come to be known as Embrace Boston was born. And while making good on the vision to commemorate the Kings through a physical monument remained a central goal, the work of Embrace Boston—much like the monument itself—has taken on a 360-degree approach to understanding and addressing race-based disparities in the greater Boston region.

“At its core, Embrace Boston is a racial equity organization,” explained Imari Paris Jeffries ’97, G’99, G’03, PhD’23, who has served as the executive director and de facto lead fundraiser for the organization since

Embrace Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries ’97, G’99, G’03, PhD’23

June 2020. “And so, our work is through research and policy and directly through arts and culture to address the harms of racism on a citywide and, in some cases, statewide level.”

According to its mission statement, the multi-hyphenate organization has positioned itself “at the intersection of arts and culture, community, and research to dismantle structural racism.” In the pursuit of a “radically inclusive and equitable Boston,” various initiatives, ranging from economic development to festivals and reparations carve out a path toward that end. Plans are already in the works to develop a parcel of land adjacent to Roxbury’s Nubian Square for the future location of the Embrace Center, which will serve as a public cultural hub. The space will include exhibitions, a performance space, theaters, year-round gathering and workspace, and commercial spaces for lease by Black-owned dining establishments and businesses. In 2023, Embrace Boston hopes to unveil a data-rich well-being dashboard to provide asset-based framing of where the city stands regarding current equity benchmarks and set a direction for closing those gaps as Boston approaches historic milestones.

“The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth in 1620, and then, 10 years later, the town of Boston was founded in 1630. So, these are kind of big ‘birthdays’ occurring in our country and in our region, and we’re at the center of it,” said Paris Jeffries, reflecting on the timeliness of the work. “We can use these anniversaries as markers. They are chances to ask ourselves, does Boston look demonstratively different 400 years later, not only in harm mitigation, but in how we are improving the very access to well-being?”

“UMass Boston people tend to be pragmatic and open-minded and hard workers. Imari had that great UMass Boston background. And we locked in on the vision really quickly. So [when he joined Embrace Boston], I knew I was getting a brother and somebody who could help me with and lead this mission.”

—PAUL ENGLISH

Beacon luminaries shine on 1965 Freedom Plaza

On April 23, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led a freedom march from Roxbury to the Boston Common. A crowd of more than 22,000 people came to hear him speak in what is still one of the city’s largest civil rights demonstrations. In commemoration of that day, The Embrace sculpture is situated on the 1965 Freedom Plaza that celebrates 69 civil rights and social justice leaders who were active in the Boston area between 1950 and 1975. The legacies of these seven UMass Boston alumni are honored on the plaza.

Ruth M. Batson H’93, School desegregation leader

Demita Frazier ’82, Black feminist pioneer

Henry Hampton H’90, Civil rights documentary filmmaker

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes H’94, Twelfth Baptist minister and community trailblazer

Mimi Jones ’71, Educator and civil rights activist

Melvin “Mel” H. King G’52, H’14, Educator and activist

Jean McGuire ’61, Educator and education leader

To learn more about these path-breaking Beacons, visit stories.embraceboston.org/heroes

That improvement in quality of life and access to well-being for those who have been marginalized is tantamount for both English and Paris Jeffries. And whether recalling the work that led to the completed installation of the monument or thinking ahead to upcoming initiatives, Paris Jeffries is always quick to center the impact of community and the collective as both the focus of the work and the key to its success and sustainability.

“I’ve heard thousands of stories from people while doing this work— their own experiences with Dr. King or Mrs. King, their own favorite quotes. The Embrace serves as a holding place for all those stories,” he said, “not just the Kings, and not just the 69 who are memorialized on the plaza. It took a lot of people’s time, talent, and treasure to build the monument. Beloved community is built through this work because it isn’t just one or two benefactors.”

When considering what it means to build an organization with long-term impact at its core, there’s also a special alignment Paris Jeffries sees in this work through his lens as a member of the Beacon community.

“I think it’s important that we create places that future generations can also benefit from in ways that their society at the time will need,” he said. “From my bachelor’s degree to my graduate work, and even as a trustee, UMass Boston has meant different things to me at different points in my life. And I know it will for other people too. It has evolved and stayed familiar, simultaneously. Those are values that are important— to be an institute for the present and the future. And I think that’s what Paul and I and others are attempting to create at Embrace Boston, a place that one day will be relevant to a different generation of people in a different way.”

Embrace Boston founder Paul English ’87, G’89, H’19

BEYOND THE BAGPIPES

KEN CASEY ’22 TALKS BOSTON, MUSIC, AND HOW A FOCUS ON EDUCATION HELPED HIM REWRITE HIS OWN MURPHY’S LAW.

By Crystal Valencia G’14

THAT IS UNTIL THE DARE.

“I was 24 years old and a junior. I had never played music. One of the bartenders, he says, ‘You’re always talking about starting a band. My band has a show in three weeks. I dare you to open for us,’” Casey recalled. “We put together a band, just as a joke.”

Casey gathered his friends, learned a few songs, and played a 30-minute set in the basement of a friend’s barbershop. And just like that, out of a dare, the Dropkick Murphys were formed. By the next year, Casey had left school and the band was touring the U.S. and Europe as the opening act for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

“And here we are, 27 years later. Don’t ask me how the hell that happened,” Casey said. “But be careful. You be careful what you ask for.”

Casey and the Dropkick Murphys have worked hard to accomplish what many musicians find impossible to achieve—becoming an international powerhouse while staying true to their roots. They remain Boston’s hometown heroes, with their unique brand of Celtic punk rock blasting from the speakers at Fenway Park or the TD Garden as a rallying cry for the city’s sports teams. Their tour schedule is relentless and their St. Patrick’s Day concerts are legendary.

Their success catapulted after their hit single, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” was featured in Martin

Scorsese’s 2006 crime thriller The Departed, and their remake of “Tessie” is an anthem you’ve likely sung along with at a Red Sox game.

Throughout it all, finishing his degree at UMass Boston was always in the back of Casey’s mind.

“It had always been a goal to finish my degree, just for the sake of completing it, for my own pride, I suppose,” Casey said. “And my oldest child is now a junior at Stonehill College, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not going to let her beat me! I’m gonna get it first.’”

He finally got the chance during the pandemic, when life—and touring—came to a standstill, and all university classes went remote.

“There were always some classes I was going to need to actually attend in person, and I just knew with my schedule, and touring, I could never do it,” he said. “During the pandemic, I said, ‘Well, it’s now or never, and obviously we might as well make something good out of a bad situation.’”

He graduated with his American studies degree last year, and he says he “took so much more in” this go-around.

“I felt like I was getting more enjoyment out of those lessons than the average kid who knew nothing about music,” Casey said. “Because I always need to learn more. The music industry is changing at a rapid pace, so sometimes I was just sitting back and like, man, this is so much more beneficial for me.”

He even got to share his experiences with classmates, when halfway through the spring semester, American studies Professor Jeffrey Melnick invited Casey to take over his Social History of Popular Music class.

When Ken Casey ’22 first attended UMass Boston almost three decades ago, he was admittedly just a kid getting his wits about him, working construction by day, bartending nights, and studying to become a special education teacher.

“I had a unique perspective on some of what we were already talking about in class, so it was kind of cool,” Casey said.

Rewriting Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s Law states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong,” and Casey has more than a few stories to prove that true. Broken-down buses. Closed borders. Wipeouts on stage.

“It’s a lot of work. We’re a pretty big operation in terms of band members and crew,” Casey said. “But all in all, we’ve been really fortunate as a band. We work hard though, you know, and hard work pays off.”

Casey’s hard work has brought him in directions he never would have dreamed of 30 years ago. Aside from the Dropkicks, he is co-owner of Dorchester’s Lower Mills Tavern and the Yellow Door Taqueria, which recently opened its third location in Mission Hill. And there’s the Claddagh Fund, which Casey and his bandmates founded in 2009 to support charities for children, veterans, and those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. In 2015, Casey donated $10,000 to UMass Boston’s William Joiner Institute in support of its veterans community outreach programs.

Casey is also known for using his platform to speak out against social injustice, racism, fascism, and abuse of political power.

“When I see direct fascism coming up from under the rock that it was buried under, it’s like I was always taught, you have to speak up,” Casey said. “I just think that if we ever get to a point where people are afraid to speak up about what’s right, then we’ve already lost, you know.”

That antifascist message runs through their two latest albums, This Machine Still Kills Fascists and the just-released Okemah Rising, which interpret the work of folk legend Woody Guthrie, who the band calls the original rebel. Casey and his bandmates collaborated with Guthrie’s daughter Nora and her son, Cole, to choose some of Guthrie’s lyrics that had never been heard or put to music.

While Guthrie wrote and sang from the 1930s to 1950s, famously scribbling “This machine kills fascists” on his acoustic guitar, many of his lyrics still resonate.

“It’s scary that what he was speaking about then has come back around. But everything happens for a reason because this is right when these albums needed to happen. Woody’s messages are needed more than ever right now.”

Playing acoustic sets have been a new challenge for Casey, who has typically played for throbbing crowds of fans screaming back his lyrics.

“I remember the first few shows we came out and people were just in their seats, and we almost had an anxiety attack on the first song. I feel like I’m more like in a play than in a rock show. But it was great, you know . . . any time you’re coming out of your comfort zone, it’s a good thing.”

Casey sees this new acoustic side as something to possibly transition to in another 10 years. “We’re pretty high energy now, and I don’t know how graceful you can be playing high-energy punk rock in your 60s and 70s,” he joked.

Twelve albums in, Casey plans to keep that now almost three-decades-old dare going as long as he can.

“We’ve already gone about 27 years longer than I ever thought. I’m only in my early 50s . . . and the other guys are even younger than me, so you know, we’ll go hard for another 10 years and assess.”

“And then maybe I’ll get my master’s,” Casey said, laughing.

PICTURE PERFECT

Paul Martineau ’98 Named Curator of Photographs at the Getty Museum

BY STEVEN WHITTEMORE

Growing up in Methuen, Paul Martineau ’98 was raised on the same street as his grandparents, who owned and operated an egg farm. His plan was to enter the world of international relations, and he took honors and college preparatory classes at Methuen public schools.

But it wasn’t until he was 25 and holding down several restaurant jobs that he landed at UMass Boston and realized where his passions lay. Enrolled as a history major, he happened to register for an art history class with world-renowned art professor Anne McCauley. This was the class that forever changed the direction of his career.

Martineau immediately switched majors to art history and threw himself into the curriculum. “Although my concentration was in the history of art, I was required to take three studio courses, so I took drawing, printmaking, and photography,” he said. “Those classes rocked. Each project in each class was a new challenge where I was trying to top what I did before. It was exciting and interesting, and I wanted to outdo myself each time.”

He built relationships with other UMass Boston art professors, including Monet expert Paul Tucker. But it was McCauley who would become his mentor and advise him through his college years. Martineau graduated summa cum laude with his bachelor’s in art in May 1998.

After graduating, Martineau worked for two years in the research library at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While he really enjoyed the experience, he felt he was leaving his full potential on the drawing board, so to speak, and he decided to pursue a graduate degree to land his dream job: curator for a major museum.

Martineau applied to several graduate programs and ultimately chose Williams College’s rigorous and prestigious history of art master’s program. While at Williams,

he worked at the Clark Art Institute, and then worked for the Société française de photographie in Paris, France. He returned to the United States in 2003 to be curatorial assistant in the department of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Named curator of photographs in 2021, Martineau manages and develops the Getty’s photograph collection of over 150,000 objects by learning about the artists, courting collectors and donors, and making purchases.

He also writes the publications for most of the photograph exhibitions he organizes, coordinates both the multicultural undergraduate internship program and the graduate internship program, and oversees the Getty’s guest scholar program for the department.

The highlight of Martineau’s career thus far has been welcoming McCauley to serve as a guest scholar at the Getty. She spent three months in residence at the museum doing research.

“I never thought it possible that I would be able to help her,” said Martineau, who was also able to include an essay from McCauley in his book Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, which was published in 2018. Martineau is author or coauthor of nearly a dozen books.

Like many other UMass Boston students, Martineau worked hard, took advantage of opportunities presented to him, built lifelong relationships, and found career success.

He describes his experience at UMass Boston as “foundational,” saying it played a “crucial” role in the trajectory of his career and success.

“It was at UMass Boston that I really discovered what I wanted to do,” Martineau said. He credits the faculty and the mentorship he received for much of his journey and success.

By Vanessa Chatterley | Illustration by Louisa Cannell

SOFYA GRAY ’16 has long been an advocate of environmental sustainability. It’s something she can trace all the way back to one of her first economics classes at UMass Boston with Nurul Aman, PhD.

MAKING A Splash

“He was talking about issues like pollution and recycling. And he guided me into thinking about plastic waste. That was my first encounter with the issue,” said Gray, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics. “He made me think about the importance of recycling and the danger of waste pollution overall.”

That lesson came rushing back to Gray a few years later when she and her husband set sail along the New England coast, from Long Island Sound to Rockport, Massachusetts. It was Gray’s first time being aboard a sailboat, and she was excited to take up a new hobby with her husband. But what should have been a fun afternoon quickly turned into a horrifying reality once she noticed all the plastic waste floating in the ocean.

Gray’s first time sailing was an unforgettable experience—for all the wrong reasons.

“I started spotting birthday balloons at sea. Later, when we sailed more in Massachusetts Bay, I noticed grocery store plastic bags, cans, ziplock bags, plastic water bottles, candy wrappers. Any time I saw trash, I tried to pick it up. I was thinking about the marine animals who could potentially consume plastic products, even micro parts, and hurt themselves. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, it all makes sense now. It’s not just in a textbook.’”

A SEA OF PLASTIC

According to the National Geographic Society, more than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris litter the ocean today. That number is even more staggering when you consider the ongoing—and still somewhat unknown—effects that plastic waste has on marine life and on ocean ecosystems as a whole.

For Gray, this was more than just a wakeup call. It was time to take action.

“I decided maybe it’s my turn to start making a difference and address waste issues through a unique and creative way,” she said.

Gray spent six consecutive months living aboard a 32-foot Ericson sailboat—named Annamay after her late mother-in-law—with her husband and two dogs. During that time, she immersed herself in research, learning everything she could about sustainability issues and challenges that plague and threaten the environment. She returned to Rockport with an idea for a business startup, one that could reduce the amount of plastic waste floating in our oceans.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

That idea came to fruition in December 2019. After months of scrupulous research and planning, Gray launched her sustainable swimsuit line, aptly named Annamay, after the vessel that served as her home for half a year. The company produces reversible and seamless beachwear made from recycled materials, all handmade by Gray on Cape Ann.

Annamay incorporates the circular economy model that Gray learned about in Aman’s class, which advocates for sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.

The company is focused on the ethical production of sustainable

swimwear and uses 100 percent carbon neutral and vegan production techniques. Additionally, she works with volunteers from all over the world to spread awareness about plastic pollution and responsible waste disposal.

“We take serious actions to educate people about the danger of microplastic pollution at sea and proper disposal techniques of our products with respect to the environment,” said Gray.

Annamay’s overall mission is to empower women by creating comfortable swimwear from eco-friendly fabrics while simultaneously making the planet a cleaner place. To date, the swimwear has been promoted by popular YouTube channels Tula’s Endless Summer and Sailing Nandji; Sports Illustrated model Christie Valdiserri; and contestants from the 2019 Miss Massachusetts and Miss Hawaii pageants.

“I love seeing strong and powerful women supporting Annamay’s goal and liking what I am creating,” Gray said.

A ONE-PERSON START-UP

Despite its success over the last few years, Annamay remains a oneperson operation. Gray manages all the arduous tasks that come with owning a clothing business, including designing, fabric sourcing, and outreach and marketing to promote brand awareness. She also takes on all of the seamstress and tailoring duties as well.

“Before starting Annamay, I was doing intensive upholstery work on our sailboat,” Gray said. “Everything needed to be redone, including the sails. I decided to do it myself and I absolutely loved the process. When I started Annamay, I only had this heavy-duty sewing machine for sail-making purposes. I came up with some creative techniques and was able to make quality clothes on it.”

FROM SIBERIA TO THE NORTH SHORE—AND THE WORLD

Gray has always been adventurous. She hails from Yurga, a small town in Siberia, Russia, and immigrated to the United States to attend Quincy College before transferring to UMass Boston in 2015. After attending a job fair on campus, she landed a post-grad internship with the Boston City Council, working alongside politicians like City Councilor Tito Jackson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and State Attorney General Andrea Campbell.

In 2021, Gray was named to the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, an award that celebrates young professionals who have made an impact in their industries. Last year she was invited to serve as a mentor at Bizwomen Mentoring Monday, a national event sponsored by American City Business Journals.

Gray is currently a board member on the Rockport Cultural Council, which is funded and managed by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. It provides state grants and programming to promote excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences in every Massachusetts community.

“Joining Rockport Cultural Council is my way to enrich the Cape Ann community while promoting arts among the young population,”

said Gray, who is also a classically trained pianist.

She also works for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin. In this role, Gray works with companies like The Kraft Group, fashion brand Rag & Bone, and other entities from all over the world.

“I take a special pride in being an essential state government employee working for a constitutional branch specializing in corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and trusts,” said Gray. “My priority is to make sure that all businesses in our state are in good standing and operating smoothly.”

SETTING SIGHT ON THE FUTURE

Gray’s next plan for Annamay is to upcycle old sails to make quality grocery totes. Additionally, she hopes to expand on her mission of educating others about the dangers of plastic waste and spreading awareness of how people can practice sustainability in their own lives.

“They don’t really understand that it’s an issue right now. People think it’s going to affect us 50 years from now,” said Gray. “It’s really important to realize that it’s actually affecting us right now. We have to take action right now. Not 10 years from now, not 25 years from now. Right now.”

BEACON AWARDS HONOR ALUMNI FOR COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY

The UMass Boston Alumni Association honored four alumni at its annual Beacon Awards Celebration on October 1. The luncheon was hosted as part of the Office of Alumni Engagement’s inaugural Beacon Bash, a homecoming-style event for alumni and friends of UMass Boston.

The Beacon Awards comprise of the Emerging Leader Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Outstanding Service Award. The latter two awards acknowledge alumni from UMass Boston and its predecessor school, Boston State College. The awards celebrate alumni who have attained notable achievement and have made a lasting contribution to the university and in their professional, philanthropic, or volunteer endeavors.

Paul has remained dedicated to the university through his professional life as a faculty member, teaching eight or nine courses a year over the past decade. In 2020, he received the very first Beacon Faculty Advisor of the Year Award for his commitment to the university and its students. A U.S. Army veteran, Paul has been a longtime advisor and advocate for the UMass Boston Veterans Center. He organized Veterans Day Reading, an event where veterans read their creative and nonfiction writing to fellow vets and civilians. Additionally, he devised many innovative courses on veterans’ experiences for the Honors College, and taught related courses, such as an inspiring seminar on war in literature. Paul has participated in the Boston Marathon on the Run for Krystle Team for the past seven years, raising over $40,000 for the UMass Boston Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund. Throughout his time at UMass Boston, both as an alumnus and faculty member, Paul has showcased leadership, dedication, and innovation to the UMass Boston community.

Drawing from her deep commitment to social justice, Tariana co-founded the awardwinning media and communications company EmVision Productions in 2013, which multiplies economic development and social change impacts by exploring each client’s institutional goals and identifying how visual and digital media can can further them. The Boston Foundation and Amplify Latinx are just two of the high-impact organizations that have turned to Tariana and EmVision to feature the work of visionary, collaborative leaders to recognize talent while inspiring others. Tariana contributes in many ways to organizations and causes that promote social justice knowledge about activism and equity.

part of the increasing refinement of the development model of permanent supportive housing. While at UMass Boston, Robert interned with late Mel King G’52, H’14 as an organizer working in Roxbury. At UMass Boston, he advocated projects to increase equity and inclusiveness at the then-new campus. He has served as a panelist, presenter, and moderator at countless conferences over the years, with the mission of disseminating information and raising awareness on topics such as affordable and supportive housing.

Anne Scordino Larkin ’59

Robert has dedicated his career to the development of housing solutions for homeless people with disabilities. In addition to overseeing development of over 2,500 special needs housing units, Robert has built organizations, created connections, and been a

BOSTON STATE COLLEGE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

A graduate of Boston Teachers College, Anne is a lifelong advocate of education and, in particular, special education. She has held professorships in the Lesley College Laboratory Schools

for Children and the Graduate School of Education at Lesley University. She founded and served as the first president of Personal Advocacy and Lifetime Support, an organization that helps families plan for the future of their children with disabilities. She has served on several boards, including Cambridge Family and Children Services (now known as Bridges Homeward) and the New England Resource Center for Higher Education. She served on the Massachusetts State Board of Education, and was elected to represent Massachusetts on the National State Boards of Education. Anne has published numerous articles on autism, the role of the arts in special education, school restructuring, and early literacy.

To read about previous Beacon Awards recipients and learn how to nominate a UMass Boston or Boston State College alum, please visit umb.edu/AAA.

Paul J. Dyson Jr. ’00

UMASS BOSTON DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Tariana V. Little ’12, G’17

UMASS BOSTON EMERGING LEADER AWARD

Robert Sanborn ’81

UMASS BOSTON OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

Alumni Association Board President Kathleen Carten ’79 joins Chancellor Suarez-Orozco in congratulating this year’s recipients. (Left to right): Kathy Carten ’79; Robert Sanborn ’81; Anne Larkin ’59; Chancellor; Tariana V. Little ’12, G’17; Paul Dyson Jr. ’00.

Class notes

1960s

Joe Casey ’69 began teaching at Masconomet Regional School District after graduating from Boston State College. Over the years, he has worn many hats at Masconomet while coaching thousands of girls and boys. He started with the boys’ basketball team right out of college, coaching for 22 years. He was the boys’ cross-country assistant coach when he was asked by head coach Larry Gregorchuk to start a cross-country program for girls. Now after 53 years, the North Reading resident decided it was time to step down from coaching girls’ cross-country.

1970s

Laurence Donoghue ’77, an attorney at Morgan, Brown, and Joy LLP, was named to The Best Lawyers in America 2023 listing for Employment LawManagement; Labor Law – Management; and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Published by Woodward/White, Inc., Best Lawyers is considered one of the oldest and most respected peerreview publications in the legal profession. Donoghue earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UMass Boston.

Gina McCarthy ’76, former White House national climate advisor and U.S. EPA administrator, and Lizzi Weyant, deputy executive director for public affairs and advocacy at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, will lead the transition policy committee called “Climate Readiness, Resiliency and Adaptation,” which will explore how Massachusetts confronts “the climate crisis head on while also creating good-paying jobs, protecting our communities and addressing climate injustices.”

1980s

Paul Anastas ’84, H’18 and John Warner ’84, pioneers of green chemistry, received the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Commemorative Medal from the German Chemical Society. They were honored at a special ceremony during the eighth EuChemS Chemistry Congress. Anastas and Warner formulated 12 principles of green chemistry in their 1998 book, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice

Margaret J. Evans ’83 retired after working 40 years at the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service. She had a long and storied career, climbing the ranks from determinations specialist to office correspondence examiner and then to internal revenue agent, in 2005. She later accepted a position as a senior reviewer in EO Mandatory Review. Upon her retirement in March 2021, she received the highest honor given to a Department of the Treasury employee: the prestigious Albert Gallatin Award, signed by Janet L. Yellen, the first woman Secretary of the Treasury.

Carole Hughes ’83 was named a Pillar of the Profession by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). The award is given to those who have provided significant service to NASPA through regional and/or national leadership roles within the association. They have created a lasting impact on the institutions where they have worked and leave a legacy of extraordinary service recognized by a cross-section of stakeholders. Hughes has served in a variety of positions on the student affairs staff at Boston College for the past three decades.

Thomas Stocker ’85, a visual artist, is working with the Museum of Science in Boston to establish a memorial to Boston native Leonard Nimoy, who was most famously known for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise for almost 50 years. An 18-foot stainless steel sculpture of Nimoy’s hand raised in the iconic Vulcan salutation, “Live long and prosper,” designed by Massachusetts sculptor David Phillips, will be placed at the entrance to the museum.

1990s

Jim Gordon ’96 was appointed vice president at O’Neill and Associates LLC. He brings 25 years of experience in government relations, within political campaigns, and as an advisor to a U.S. Representative, to his new role. With his grasp of policy and processes, and understanding of stakeholder outreach strategies, he guides clients through the maze of government and legislative initiatives. Gordon’s experiences in the public and private sectors have served to reinforce his philosophy that building relationships and finding common ground is the key to success in any arena.

Ed Meek ’98, who earned his bachelor’s degree in English from UMass Boston, won Berkshire Magazine’s Create 4 Freedoms Essay & Poetry Contest for his poem “Freedom and the Dignity It Contains.” Meek is a writer who has published poems and short stories. He is the author of Hide Tides, a collection of poems, and Luck, a collection of short stories.

Gemima St. Louis ’93, G’96, PhD’98 has been promoted to vice president for workforce initiatives and specialty training at William James College. To date, the college has raised more than $12 million in funding to support students from

underserved communities through academic training and service-year programs. This new role recognizes the increased scope and the impact of the college’s academic training, agency collaborations, scholarship funding, research initiatives, student support, and innovations in this area.

Catherine M. Weber ’99 received funding for the seventh annual Art on the Trails project, which is mounted in the Beals Preserve in Southborough, Mass. The project, which she founded in 2016, is a juried art exhibition and poetry program held each summer on the trails of the 55-acre property with the support of the Southborough Open Land Foundation and funded by the Southborough Community Fund. The program culminates in September with a poetry reading, typically attended by over 100 people, and a chapbook that features art and poetry.

Philip Winterson ’90, managing director at Wells Fargo, was named high net worth branch manager with the company. Winterson’s responsibilities include day-to-day operations of the Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and downtown LA offices and their 50 advisors. Winterson has been a part of the Wells Fargo advisors community for 16 years and has 32 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to becoming a branch manager, he served as a market leader in San Diego. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMass Boston.

2000s

Jeffrey J. Brodeur ’01, CER’01, CER’02, G’05, a former William Joiner Institute award recipient, was recently re-elected national president of the Federally Chartered Korean War Veterans

Association. Brodeur was the first Korean demilitarized zone veteran ever elected national president and served on the Korean DMZ with the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division in the late 1980s.

Patrick Costello ’04 was appointed senior vice president for the Washington, DC, office of Mercury Public Affairs, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm. He is frequently sought out by individuals, institutions, and companies to advise them on how to maximize their influence and impact in Washington. He

writes a monthly column for the international business community that is located in Italy.

Christine Vasquez Hortick ’02 won the judicial election for the 225th District Court in Bexar County, Texas. She was sworn in on January 1, 2023. Hortick graduated cum laude from UMass Boston with her bachelor’s in political science and anthropology. She earned her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law and has served as an attorney for over 15 years.

RASHEED WALTERS ’17 is a freelance writer, political commentator, and historian specializing in politics and current events who was mentored by fellow alumnus and radio program NightSide host DAN REA ’70, H’08. Walters was an avid listener of Rea’s radio show and would often call in to discuss his goal of pursuing a career in writing. Rea was able to connect Walters with the editor of the Boston Herald, where Walters is currently an opinion columnist. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UMass Boston and was a fellow for Boston Impact Initiative, a nonprofit focused on economic and racial justice. Walters is a member of Project 21, a national leadership network of Black conservatives, and resides in Boston.

Edna Monteiro Leith G’07, G’15 was named to the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers board of directors. Leith’s involvement with the alliance started in 2002 as a volunteer. Later, she became the senior manager of the Dorchester office and the domestic violence and sexual assault program director. Leith now works for Boston Public Schools as a district multilingual and multicultural instructional coach, supporting Cape Verdean Creole-speaking children with language barriers.

2010s

Rachael Belisle-Toler ’17 was named Ipswich Utilities’ water resource manager. She came to Ipswich from the Gloucester Health Department, where she worked as the assistant director after completing her master’s degree in community sustainability from Michigan State University. In this role, Belisle-Toler will be responsible for taking a closer look at water use and management in Ipswich while trying to engage with residents and community partners.

Jacob deBlecourt ’19 was hired by the Boston Foundation as its new public

affairs manager, working closely with the foundation’s vice president for communications and public affairs. A graduate of the Honors College at UMass Boston, deBlecourt joins the foundation after two and a half years in the office of Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia, where he served as director of public policy and communications.

Lily Diallo ’17 was hired as an account executive at Denterlein, an independent public relations agency. Diallo brings a unique understanding of a digital footprint and online presence that can create better brand awareness and marketing reach efforts. A decorated Army veteran, Diallo’s training as a supply sergeant for Bravo Company, 2BSTB, 82nd Airborne Division gave her impeccable leadership skills and attention to detail. Prior to Denterlein, Diallo worked as a social media analyst for Veracode.

Kevin Higgins ’15, who formerly served as Representative Liz Miranda’s aide in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, was appointed chief of staff to newly elected State Senator Liz Miranda, of the 2nd Suffolk district, which consists

of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roslindale, the South End, and Fenway.

Philip Oates G’12, a former Watertown middle school teacher and interim principal at the Lowell School, received an honor from the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association for his work as assistant principal at Weston Middle School. Oates has worked at the middle school for the past six years. He has earned two master’s degrees, one in secondary math education from UMass Boston, and one in organizational management from Endicott College. Oates’ career in public education spans from middle to high school.

Raymond Porch ’15, G’17 has been appointed to the position of director of family and community engagement for Cambridge Public Schools. He has over 20 years of experience in secondary and postsecondary education in public, charter, private, and higher education organizations and settings. Prior to this role, Porch was the chief of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts.

Tinesha Richardson ’18 received the Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2022 Black Leadership Award. The award honors individuals who exhibit exceptional leadership, mentorship, and commitment to diversity and inclusion, both in the workplace and in their community. A manager on Freddie Mac’s Single-Family Equitable Housing team, Richardson plays a key role in providing innovative solutions and strategic planning to eliminate the homeownership gap for Black and Latino families. She also serves as the cochair of Freddie Mac’s ARISE Business Resource Group, which provides personal and professional development programming for employees in the African diaspora.

Kevin Tran ’18, a Dorchester native who has served as the neighborhood liaison for Fields Corner and the local

Vietnamese community since October 2021, has a new title: AAPI cultural liaison. He is one of four new staffers who have joined Boston City Hall’s Office of Neighborhood Services, with a focus on sections of Dorchester and the Cape Verdean and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. Tran has a degree in psychology from UMass Boston. Before this role in neighborhood services, he worked as a specialist and paraprofessional in Boston public schools.

Miran Velagic ’12 joined Cataldo Ambulance Service, Inc. as director of revenue cycle. Velagic and his family emigrated from Bosnia in 1994 as war refugees and settled on the north shore of Massachusetts. He graduated from UMass Boston with his bachelor’s degree in management and previously worked at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Velagic now resides in Malden, Mass., with his wife and child and has served on the UMass Boston Young Alumni Council since 2017 in various roles, most recently as vice president.

Elizabeth Proctor West ’19 received her JD from Suffolk University Law School in spring 2022 and began her law career as an associate attorney at Bay State IP, LLC in Boston. A resident of Braintree, Mass., Liz is a member of the UMass Boston Young Alumni Council and serves as chair of the Council’s Engagement Committee.

2020s

Angela Allison CER’20 won her first election for Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Washington, DC. An Advisory Neighborhood Commission is a non-partisan neighborhood body made up of locally elected representatives. Commissions were established under Washington’s Home Rule Charter to bring government closer to the people, and to bring the people closer to government.

Héctor del Valle CER’21 was hired as the district translator for the Seminole County Public Schools. After successfully

Daud Kyarizov ’22, G’22 founded KoKo Coffee, a portable coffee shop, with the mission of simplifying the coffee experience for people who don’t have access to third-wave coffee shops in their neighborhoods. Inspired by Kyarizov’s passion for the beverage, the cafe serves caffeinated beverages, as well as pastries, breakfast, and lunch items. The menu is influenced by international cuisine, with hints of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Central Asia. KoKo Coffee plans to open locations in the Downtown Boston and South Boston neighborhoods. In addition to providing folks in the Greater Boston area with their daily caffeine fix, Kyarizov also works as a media director for Turkmen Yurt TV, which promotes social justice and democracy in Turkmenistan, from where he originally hails.

completing two semesters of UMass Boston’s Translation Certificate Program, Héctor passed the UMass Boston Translation Certificate Exam, which is designed to determine whether a candidate can produce a translation that is professionally usable within the framework provided by the translation instructions. Before joining the program, Héctor was a New York City Spanish high school teacher for 22 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in bilingual special education from Fordham University.

April Overstreet CER’22 earned the certified translator credential granted by the American Translators Association (ATA) in Spanish-to-English translation, following her completion of her certificate in translation from UMass Boston in 2022. To earn ATA certification, a translator must pass a challenging three-hour proctored exam. The exam assesses the language skills of a professional translator: comprehension of the source-language text, translation techniques, and writing in the target language.

Roman Davis ’14 began his career with the Old Colony YMCA in 2010 as a youth sports instructor and camp counselor. Over the course of a decade, the UMass Boston alumnus had been promoted a total of six times, ultimately serving as the senior executive director of the YMCA in Taunton, Mass. In an effort to provide more inclusive programming, Davis spearheaded a signature program called Y-Ability. He was awarded a Community Partnership Award for Inclusive Recreation from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. He also won the national 30 Under 30 Award from Y-USA for his community work around Y-Ability and diversity. Davis was recently appointed director of employee development and strategy at Jay Cashman Inc.

Emily Jean Silver G’14 was named a Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree alongside her business partner. Silver is the cofounder of Newborn and Parenting Support (NAPS), which provides prenatal education and postnatal support services.

NAPS supports women throughout pregnancy and up through early childhood with an in-depth online learning platform, Nurture by NAPS. It includes a wide array of virtual classes and consultations—and even in-home lactation and nursing care.

Silver began her career in general medicine before working as a labor and delivery nurse, where she met NAPS cofounder Jamie O’Day. While there, she received her master’s degree in nursing and became a family nurse practitioner, working in an OB-GYN office for several years before running NAPS full time with Jamie.

In Memoriam

Since our last issue, it has saddened us to learn of the passing of the following members of the UMass Boston community.

ALUMNI

Robert Joseph Ahern ’72

Lawrence Paul Auriemma ’82

Steven Michael Bachner ’92

Peter F. Badger ’71

Mary R. Barrett ’57, G’61

Frederick J. Bass ’77

Margarita E. Bellotti ’80

John J. Bernazzani ’75

Robert J. Betts ’02

Cheryl Lee Blalock ’17

Lee H. Blank ’77

William Hamilton Borden Jr. ’96

Arthur J. Bowes ’69

John J. Broderick ’70

Sandra Weininger Calmas ’73, G’80

James R. Carney ’64

William A. Carr G’63

Kathleen P. Castagna ’02

Pamela Olszyk Chance ’82

Mary M. Keough Ciccariello ’68

Donald Clarke ’03

Robert F. Coiro ’77

Carol Simon Collins ’81

Mary B. Connolly ’64

Monica A. Cook ’70

David A. Cox ’71

Mary A. McCarthy Crosby ’94

Edward A. Culkin ’77

Francis X. Cullen ’69

Catherine Sestito Cummings ’51

William Henry Dalzell ’93

John Herbert Davis ’81

Karl J. Deschamps ’70

Lon S. Dexter ’97, G’00

Audrey C. DiMartino CER’90

Barbara Doherty ’57

Helen Margaret Donovan ’65

Veronica Doskal ’69

Edward W. Doyle ’68

Sandy Miller Dunphy ’58

Paul W. Evans ’71

Sandra M. Evans G’91

Arthur R. Fallon ’69

Anthony G. Ferzoco ’80

Janet Ann Finigan Minihane G’73

Robert B. Foreman ’71

Marguerite P. Freeman ’73

Paul F. Georges ’82

Elynor R. Gittens ’77

John T. Glynn ’76

Edward C. Goodstein G’91

Kenneth F. Gray G’60

Valerie Cynthia Gruber CER’88

Barry W. Haley ’78

Lorna E. Reedy Harrington ’84

John F. Harris ’54

Maria M. Harvey ’88

Patricia A. Hickey ’81

Karen Clarke Hodges ’68

Harold C. Hughes G’82

Karen McSorley Imbalzano G’98

Thomas W. Jenkins ’81

Ann F. Kavanagh ’77

Ryan Parker Kelly ’19

Michael R. LaFrennie ’94

Ronald F. LaPensee ’75

June B. Grazado MacCarone ’62

Wayne Michael Majuri ’69

Leo Paul Maloney ’69

Constance Keavy Martin ’60

Richard D. McCarthy ’82

Thomas L. McDonald Jr. ’60

Marion Louise McGann ’00, CER’00

Ellen M. McNamara G’94

Joyce A. McPhillips ’74

Marian F. Merullo ’75

Barbara J. Mills ’69

William A. Minkle ’89, G’91

Mary K. Herman Myers ’70

Stanley J. Norton ’84

Linda A. O’Keefe ’78

Kevin T. O’Malley ’91

Robert M. Palter ’01

Albert Patrick Jr. ’67

David Patterson ’73

Sherell M. Pringle ’18

Julia Elisabeth Rice ’82

Cynthia Watkins Richardson ’72

Lynford M. Richardson ’99

Constance A. Rinaldo ’76

Michael Ring ’71

John Rodgers ’82

Joyce S. Dolberg Rowe ’77

Joseph F. Ryan ’64

Beverly L. Ryder ’78

Josephine Ryner ’74

Catherine Frisone Scott ’38, G’39

Pauline J. Sheehan G’61

James D. Silva G’82

Thomas Sisti ’68

Ronald Smith ’71

Margaret Snowden Stanley ’96

Elizabeth A. Steeves ’51

Judith M. Steinkrauss ’72

Barbara W. Stieglitz ’83

Richard Michael Stone ’09, G’11

Ann O’Mahony Sullivan ’57

Denise L. Sylvester ’76

Joseph F. Tarello ’64

Sarah Anne Taylor G’18

Errol J. Terrell ’53

Louise Jalalian Tibets ’58

Cynthia E. Tompson G’96

Rocco A. Toto ’72

Susan K. Washington ’77

Barbara S. Waters G’89

Kenneth J. Weil ’69

Tyler James Whidden ’15

Leslie L. Whone ’78

Charles A. Williams ’72

Maurice Francis Worth G’75

Richard D. York ’02

FACULTY AND STAFF

Professor Emerita Bernice L. Auslander

Professor Emerita Ann E. Berthoff

William Clarke

Professor Daniel Comenetz

Professor Emerita Janet E. Duncan

Professor Victoria Helen Kingsley G’99

Professor Catherine M. Manton

Professor Carol K. Nectow

Professor Cathryn A. Nelson

Joseph J. Pasakarnis

Professor Gregory L. Pierce

Dick Pleasants

Professor Dorothy T. Scanlon

T. Michael Sullivan Jr.

Professor Emeritus Richard H. White

James Wyse

Jason K. Young

FRIENDS

Richard Baker P’22

Sayed Arif Faisal

Douglas Footit

Robert W. Foster

Naomi Merker Gordon

Vidyanand Karandikar

Donald Lien

Thomas Payzant

Zachary Thomas Romania

Darryl Macaraig Sanchez

Rosemarie E. Sansone

Marie F. Sisk

Anne Soraghan

Louis Terkla

Phyllis Terkla

Nathaniel Thayer

Alice Wolf

MARGARITA “MAGGIE” E. (WANG) BELLOTTI ’80

Maggie died peacefully at her home surrounded by her loved ones on December 26, 2022, at age 98. Maggie spent her youth in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, and met her future husband, Francis X. Bellotti, in Florida in 1948. They were married for 73 years and had 12 children. Maggie was the bedrock of her family and devoted supporter of her husband’s decades-long political career. Even with her large and active family, she returned to college to complete her degree at UMass Boston, and later earned a master’s degree from Cambridge College. She followed her heart to serve the disadvantaged and disenfranchised by working as a victim witness advocate at the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office and as a long-time board member of DOVE, an organization to end domestic violence. She loved music and was an avid piano player, playing well into her 90s. She volunteered at the gift shop at St. John’s Church, took Bible classes, learned to play bridge, taught English to Spanish-speaking children, and played in a local tennis group before hanging up her sneakers at the age of 88.

ARTHUR J. BOWES ’69

Art passed away peacefully on September 8, 2022. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving his country during the Vietnam War. Art held various positions in the health care field, most recently as senior vice-president of human resources at Partners Healthcare. He served as adjunct professor of human resources at many colleges and universities in Boston, including UMass Boston, where he also taught courses in management and public policy. Art received his bachelor of science degree from Boston State College and an MBA from Suffolk University. He volunteered his time to his alma maters through service on the Board of Visitors, as a Chancellor’s Council Ambassador, on the Boston State College Steering Committee, and through Reunion Planning. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 44 years Pat (Campos) Bowes, his two daughters and their families, and his two sisters and their families.

CATHERINE “KAY” M. FRISONE SCOTT ’38, G’39

Kay passed peacefully in her home on December 22, 2022, at age 105. After a brief stint teaching in Northborough and Barnstable, she took a job at the MIT Radiation Laboratory, where she met her late husband, Elmer J. Scott. In 1958, Kay joined the faculty of Montgomery College, and retired in 1986 as a professor emerita of business education. She served on the advisory board of Housing Unlimited Inc., a Montgomery County nonprofit that ensures housing for adults with mental illness. She had also been a long-time active member of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalists Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, serving on the social justice council and the board for social justice. Kay was a noted philanthropist who generously supported UMass Boston, Montgomery College, Cedar Lane UU Church, Washington University in St. Louis, and the Smithsonian Institution, among others. In 2000, Kay established the Catherine F. Scott Educational Endowment Fund and in 2013, made a commitment to establish The Catherine Frisone Scott Center for Italian Cultural Studies in memory of her brother John B. Frisone.

Alumni Events

Professor Emeritus Peter McClure and wife, Phoebe Blake, at the Providence, RI, reception. Alumni and friends pose for a group photo at the Providence, RI, reception.

Participants of the UMass Boston Beacon 5K begin their run as part of the 2022 Beacon Bash.

Jenifer Simpson ’84, CER’85 and Sean Denniston CER’07 chat by the fireplace in Washington, DC.

Dr. Masahiko Minami and Hitomi Minami ’97 catch up with Kieko Shimizu ’92 in San Francisco.

Chancellor Suárez-Orozco connects with Samantha Zeno ’21 and William Parker P’22 at the Washington, DC, reception.

Chancellor Suárez-Orozco addresses attendees at the Celebration of Philanthropy.

Yuri Dagan ’13 and College of Management Dean Venky Venkatachalam pose for a picture at the Dean’s Welcome Reception.

Louis Elveus ’15 and Courtney Taylor pose for a photo in Los Angeles.

Shauna Dacus ’20, Kyler Schelling, Katya Pearson ’20, Gerry Pass ’92, and Stephen Smiddy ’20 pose for a photo at the Los Angeles reception.

Giovanni Lima ’18 and his guest view the beautiful sunset at the San Diego reception.

Chancellor Suárez-Orozco delivers remarks to San Diego alumni and friends. Alumni celebrating the holidays at the annual Alumni Holiday Reception in Boston.

Ive Gonzalez ELP’14, Cathy Forest ’10, and Ronald Taylor ’98 serve on a panel at the Women in the Workplace event.

Chancellor Suárez-Orozco joins members of the Young Alumni Council for a photo at the Alumni Holiday Reception in Boston. (Left to right): Chancellor Suárez-Orozco, Elizabeth West ’19, David Manning ’15, Jacob Bohenko ’19, Guivens Andre ’20, Diana Tran ’21, Joseph Miller ’14, Miran Velagic ’12, Nurcin Celebi ’16, and Paige Berry ’14

BEACON NATION

It’s common to see a Beacon on Beacon Hill, but have you ever run into a Beacon on Capitol Hill? Don’t be surprised if you do!

Although 79 percent of UMass Boston alumni live in New England, the alumni community has a presence throughout the nation.

The top 10 states outside of New England:

Current student demographics

Of the 2,441 first-year students admitted in fall 2022: 77% are Massachusetts residents

15% come from out of state (CT, NY, and FL are the top states)

7% come from other countries

Are you interested in returning to UMass Boston to further your education, or do you know a potential future Beacon? Contact us at alumni@umb.edu and we’ll connect you with our enrollment team!

Alumni Association Welcomes New Board Members

Two outstanding alumni were named to the Board of Directors of the UMass Boston Alumni Association: Richard Bagge ’93 and Rontear Pendleton ’02.

“The committee was so pleased to put forth Rontear and Richard for consideration,” said Nomination Committee

Chair Marijo McCarthy ’78. “The breadth of experience in their respective fields of work and volunteerism in their personal and professional lives is impressive.”

The Board of Directors leads the mission of the Association, which is to cultivate the loyalty, knowledge, skills, and financial resources of its alumni; communicate and interpret the university’s goals and

Richard Bagge ’93

achievements to others; and promote a spirit of unity and loyalty among current and former students.

“It’s wonderful to see two people step forward and ask how they can become more involved with their alma mater,” said Alumni Board President Kathleen Carten ’79. “We’re looking forward to working with them as we collectively move the Association’s mission forward.”

Richard received a BA in political science, economics, and history from UMass Boston in 1993. He currently serves as chief financial officer of Manning Personnel Group, a family-run, boutique staffing agency located in downtown Boston. Prior to joining Manning Personnel in January 2016 as the vice president of finance and administration, Richard was the chief financial officer for Hearthstone Partners, the Boston area franchise for Cosi. He volunteers at Boston Partners in Education, tutoring elementary school students in math.

Rontear Pendleton ’02

Rontear received a BA in criminal justice from UMass Boston in 2002 and a JD from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2006. In 2018, she joined the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office as an assistant attorney general/grand jury director. In June 2021, she moved to the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards, where she served as the chief legal advisor for the agency. She recently accepted an opportunity to return to the Attorney General’s Office as deputy attorney general. Rontear has also worked as the deputy division chief of the Felony Family Violence Division at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. Rontear currently serves on the board of directors for Casa Myrna and teaches courses at UMass Boston and UMass Law. She is a member of the Boston Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club Ready to Work Initiative and the Boston Lawyers Group.

Foundation, gave their summer home and large acreage of coastal land to the University of Massachusetts to create a base for teaching and research on Nantucket. In 1964, the Katherine Coe Folger family contributed an additional parcel. Today, the combined 107 acres houses the Nantucket Field Station, a world-class research and education facility that serves scientists and students from around the globe. Station Director Yvonne Vaillancourt shared some facts with Beacons about UMass Boston’s “gateway to the environmental and cultural resources of the lovely island of Nantucket.” 1

The station provides faculty and student researchers with a field science laboratory, classroom space, a dormitory, field equipment, and “a wonderful cross-section of representative habitats,” including marine, estuarine, meadow, forest, and freshwater areas, said Vaillancourt. Through the Nantucket station, the Stone Living Lab in Boston Harbor, UMass Amherst’s Gloucester Marine Station, and UMass Dartmouth’s marine science and technology campus in New Bedford, UMass system researchers “have access to basically every biome of the coastal ocean across Massachusetts,” according to Bob Chen, interim dean of the UMass Boston School for the Environment. 2

The School for the Environment oversees the Nantucket station, but it’s used for far more than environmental science research. Topics of studies conducted there span ocean microplastics, seal biology, avian influenza, tick-borne disease, harmful algal blooms, marine invasive species, and the impact of climate change, as well as African American archaeology, historical anthropology, and public history. 3

UMass Boston offers weekend seminars and two-week summer classes in history, biology, and environmental science at the station. These opportunities are especially valuable for students of an urban, largely non-residential university, said Vaillancourt. “They give students powerful and transforming experiences, but also very strong connections to the other students they live and work with here,” she said. “And it’s a place to be enveloped by

umassnantucketfieldstation2024 4

Scholarships are available for UMass Boston students who want to enroll in Nantucket-based courses or are interested in internships and research. To learn more about these opportunities or how to support them, visit umb.edu/nantucket. 5

More than 400 students, educators, and researchers visited the field station last academic year, from kindergarten classes to research teams. An estimated 10,000 visitors walk the grounds each year. The property’s many trails are open to the public and Beacons have a standing invitation. “We’re always happy to see alumni,” said Vaillancourt. “If you’ve been here before, come back and reminisce. And if you never knew about it, come see a special corner of your school.”

Do you have photos of or stories about the Nantucket Field Station? Share them with Yvonne at Yvonne.Vaillancourt@umb.edu or on Facebook (NantucketFieldStation)!

SEVENTY-TWO PERCENT OF UMASS BOSTON

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID. For many, this support is essential to pursuing their education. Your gift to UMass Boston will allow students to focus on learning by removing financial barriers. The collective power of you and your fellow donors helps give all Beacons a bright future.

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