SPRINGFIELD — The Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law’s Center for Social Justice and Springfield Public Forum will present an interview with Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

This is the first event in the Center for Social Justice’s new Gervino-Ward LGBTQ+ Speaker Series, which provides a venue for conversations about legal issues significant to the LGBTQ+ community. The virtual event is free and open to the public. Registration is required at bit.ly/Gervino-Ward.

Freedom to Marry, the successful campaign for marriage equality in the U.S., is widely considered the architect of the movement that led to nationwide victory in 2015. During the 1990s, Wolfson served as co-counsel in the historic Hawaii marriage case that launched the ongoing global movement for the freedom to marry, and has participated in numerous gay-rights and HIV/AIDS cases. In 2012, Wolfson received the Barnard Medal of Distinction alongside President Obama. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale College and his juris doctor from Harvard Law School.

Wolfson will be joined by WNEU School of Law Professor Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project, who will moderate a Q&A-style event.

“The Center for Social Justice and Springfield Public Forum are thrilled to welcome Evan Wolfson as the center’s inaugural Gervino-Ward LGBTQ+ speaker,” Center Director Ariel Clemmer said. “Particularly during these challenging times, it is important that we come together and have candid conversations about what it takes to make change. Evan Wolfson is a venerable example for us all.”

Wolfson now devotes his time to advising and assisting diverse movements and causes in the U.S. and around the world. Based in New York City, he has been named a Distinguished Visitor from Practice at Georgetown Law Center, where he teaches law and social change; a Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy at Yale University; and senior counsel at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm.

The Gervino-Ward LGBTQ+ Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation from WNEU Law School alumna Elena Gervino; her wife, Kathleen Ward; and their two daughters. The mission of this series is to draw awareness to emerging trends in LGBTQ+ law and continuing social-justice concerns that might affect LGBTQ+ clients or practitioners. Lectures will be held during the lunch hour and are open to students, alumni, the university community, and the general public.

SPRINGFIELD — PeoplesBank and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Western New England University (WNEU) College of Business are working together to help students expand their entrepreneurship education beyond the classroom.

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at WNEU works to develop students’ entrepreneurial mindset. Through co-curricular efforts, such as Startup Weekend and the cross-disciplinary business/engineering “Product Development and Innovation” course, students are able to create ideas, products, and services that have market potential. PeoplesBank is taking this one step further by providing grant funding to advance qualifying startups that show promise and demonstrate success.

Joseph Ferrera, a 2020 graduate of the Entrepreneurship program at Western New England University, is the first recipient of a PeoplesBank grant. He founded Double O Joe, a Ludlow-based videography startup, in his sophomore year and continued to advance the business model through his entrepreneurship courses at WNEU. He is currently serving several small businesses in the Greater Springfield area. The grant funded a more advanced drone and camera in order to continue to grow his customer base and video offerings.

Matthew Bannister, first vice president of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility at PeoplesBank, congratulated Ferrera on his success in starting the business and getting it launched. “We are pleased that our grant could assist Double O Joe in continuing to develop his business. Small businesses, powered by entrepreneurs, are vital to the economic health of our region, and we applaud both Double O Joe and Western New England University for their efforts in this area.”

Mary Schoonmaker, assistant professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Western New England University, added that “it is rewarding to see Joe’s efforts with his startup be acknowledged through this PeoplesBank grant. He has worked hard on growing the business over the past 18 months.”

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) College of Pharmacy Health Sciences and Big Y Foods, Inc. Community-Based Residency Program has received accreditation from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the American Pharmacists Assoc. (APhA). The accreditation establishes criteria for training pharmacists for the purpose of achieving professional competence in the delivery of patient-centered care and in pharmacy services.

The purpose of the post-graduate year one (PGY1) Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program is to build upon the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) education and outcomes to develop community-based pharmacist practitioners with diverse patient care, leadership, and education skills who are eligible to pursue advanced training opportunities, including post-graduate year two (PGY2) specialized residencies and professional certifications.

ASHP’s Commission on Credentialing extended the accreditation of the residency program through 2024. The accreditation means the program meets or exceeds the national standards set for a residency training program.

The WNEU College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Big Y Foods Community-Based Residency Program is the only such university-based initiative in Western Mass.

“We provide the ability to tailor the residency to the interests of the resident. Big Y, as a local, family-owned company, supports the resident to excel and advance the practice of pharmacy where the impact can be felt and seen in the community,” said Kam Capoccia, WNEU clinical professor of Community Care and PGY1 Community-Based Residency Program director. “Our program provides opportunities for the resident to teach students, patients, healthcare professionals, and members of the community. Some of our graduates have stayed on with Big Y and some have pursued a PGY2 residency in ambulatory care.”

Big Y Pharmacist Dr. Amanda Pelland became the Medication Therapy Management (MTM) specialist for Big Y Pharmacy & Wellness Centers after completing the residency. “This unique position was created for me based on the research and experiences in that one year of training,” she said. “The program provides opportunities to create innovative programs and to do more as a pharmacist.”

This year, the residency program graduated its fifth resident. Three of the graduates are Big Y pharmacists who have created new pharmacy services, and two graduates went on to pursue PGY2 ambulatory-care residencies.

WNEU College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences also offers a PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program with Walgreens. This program began in 2014 and is also accredited by ASHP and APhA.

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law Dean Sudha Setty announced the appointment of nationally renowned legal scholar and advocate Jennifer Taub to the School of Law faculty.

An authority on the 2008 mortgage meltdown and related financial crisis, Taub’s research and writing centers on ‘follow the money’ matters, promoting transparency and opposing corruption. Her new book, Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime, will be published on Sept. 29. Taub was a co-founder and organizer of the April 15, 2017 Tax March, where more than 120,000 people gathered in cities nationwide to demand President Trump release his tax returns.

She will join the School of Law faculty in August, teaching white-collar crime, civil procedure, and other commercial and business law subjects.

Taub’s 2014 book, Other People’s Houses: How Decades of Bailouts, Captive Regulators, and Toxic Bankers Made Home Mortgages a Thrilling Business, was praised by Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller in his 2015 edition of Irrational Exuberance and won a “must-read nonfiction” honor at the Massachusetts Book Awards. She is also a co-author of the sixth edition of Corporate and White Collar Crime: Cases and Materials.

Taub’s scholarly writing on corporate governance, financial market regulation, and banking law reform has been published in law journals and peer-reviewed volumes, and she has testified several times before U.S. congressional committees as an expert, including as an invited witness for the Senate Banking Committee and a House Financial Services subcommittee.

Taub has been the Bruce W. Nichols Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and a visiting professor at the University of Illinois College of Law and the University of Connecticut School of Law. She also served as a visiting fellow at the Yale School of Management. Before joining Western New England University School of Law, she was a professor at Vermont Law School.

Prior to joining academia, Taub was an associate general counsel with Fidelity Investments. She received her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Yale University, with distinction in the English major, and her juris doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she was the Recent Developments editor at the Harvard Women’s Law Journal.

“We are delighted to welcome Jennifer Taub to the WNE School of Law community,” Setty said. “Her groundbreaking scholarship on economic justice and good government, her dedication to the craft of teaching, and her commitment to serving the community are some of the tremendous attributes that she brings to the School of Law.”

Taub has appeared on cable news programs including MSNBC’s Morning Joe and CNN Newsroom to discuss legal matters, including the special counsel investigation into links between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign. She has written opinion pieces for a variety of platforms, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the CNN opinion page, Dame Magazine, the Baseline Scenario, Race to the Bottom, Pareto Commons, the Conglomerate, and Concurring Opinions.

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) announced the addition of a new master of science program in construction management to the list of graduate-degree offerings.

“Construction management is defined as a professional service that uses specialized project-management techniques to oversee the planning, design, and construction of a project, from its beginning to its end,” said Kenneth Lee, founding chair for the Construction Management department, as well as professor and chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at WNEU.

U.S. News and World Report ranks construction manager first in “Best Construction Jobs” and 43rd in “100 Best Jobs” with a low unemployment rate of 2.3%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics website shows that the job outlook growth (2016-26) for Construction Managers is 11% (faster than average), with a median salary of $93,370 per year.

“Construction projects can range from improving intersection traffic flows to massive, multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects with a decade-long development environment, each [needing] specialized people with specialized skill sets to manage,” said Christian Salmon, assistant professor of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management at WNEU.

With courses rooted in civil engineering, industrial engineering, and engineering management, the program strives to provide a well-rounded knowledge base in engineering as it pertains to construction management. Elective opportunities in business and management will give students a perspective into the business world that will prepare them for management and leadership roles.

“The MS in construction management is a great fit with our existing undergraduate and graduate programs offered by our College of Engineering,” said Matthew Fox, executive director of Graduate Admissions. “We continue to accept applications for new graduate candidates, and those starting the construction management program this fall will be able to earn their master’s in as few as 18 months studying part-time or in one year studying full-time.”

The program is tailored for students to choose from three options to complete the degree. The all-course option allows students to complete the 10 graduate courses that include open electives, choosing from courses in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering as well as engineering management and business. Through the project or thesis options, students will work with a faculty advisor to take a deeper dive in a topic of interest, culminating in a final report and presentation.

Applications are now being accepted for the MS in construction management program. Classes begin Sept. 28. To learn more, call the Office of Graduate Studies at (413) 782-1517 or e-mail [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University’s board of trustees announced the unanimous appointment of Robert Johnson as the institution’s sixth president, according to Kenneth Rickson, board chair. Johnson succeeds Anthony Caprio, who has served as WNEU’s president for more than 24 years — the longest presidential tenure in the history of the university.

“We believe we have found the perfect leader to build on our growth as an institution as we chart a course for Western New England’s second century,” Rickson said. “A scholar in the areas of educational leadership, cultural diversity and leadership, marketing and enrollment management, and the future of work, Dr. Johnson is a renowned thought leader who speaks and writes about the future of work, the agile mind, the agile university, and innovating for social impact.”

Johnson currently serves as chancellor of UMass Dartmouth. He will begin his new role as president of WNEU on Aug. 15.

“Building on the leadership and legacy of Dr. Caprio is humbling and an honor,” he said. “His transformation and elevation of Western New England University for 24 years is historic. I look forward to engaging with the campus community to create a shared ambition in writing its next chapter in this extraordinary time, and navigating through this global pandemic and social unrest with a sense of humanity and civility.”

Johnson’s 30-year leadership career spans nonprofit colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest, including public, private, urban, rural, small, and large institutions with enrollments from 2,000 to more than 25,000 students. Prior to becoming chancellor at UMass Dartmouth, he served as president of Becker College in Worcester from 2010 to 2017. He has held leadership positions with Sinclair College, the University of Dayton, Oakland University, and Central State University in Ohio. His career reflects several firsts — not only as an African-American leader, but also as the youngest person to hold senior administrative roles.

Johnson’s tenure at UMass Dartmouth resulted in a number of significant accomplishments, including leading the region to create a framework for the blue economy, which will be an ecosystem to drive job creation, economic development, and entrepreneurship; launching a $188 million construction and renovation project for new housing and dining; the renovation of its Science and Engineering building; and securing the largest single research grant in the history of the university, $4.6 million from the Office of Naval Research.

As President of Becker College from 2010 to 2017, Johnson led enrollment growth for seven consecutive years by 23%, increased degrees awarded by 53%, and boosted the graduation rate by 29%. His innovative leadership elevated the reputation of the digital games program, ranked third in the world, and first in New England, by the Princeton Review. He also helped create the first bachelor’s degree in the U.S. in global citizenship. The U.S. Department of Economic Development designated the college as one of 60 schools as a University Center. Creating the Agile Mindset positioned its curriculum with a unique niche in the higher-education landscape.

“The Agile Mindset, which provides students the skillset and mindset to create new value with essential human skills to meet the demands of the future, will be critical to the academy in a post COVID-19 world,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working with our community to evolve the paradigm for the higher-education industry that steeps our students with a sense of humanity, grounding them in the liberal arts with an entrepreneurial spirit that spurs innovation and transforms the world.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Johnson to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and Gov. Charlie Baker appointed him to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the Hate Crimes Task Force and the Black Advisory Council.

A native of Detroit, Johnson was inspired to pursue a life of education for the social good by his uncle, who was a classmate of Martin Luther King Jr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Touro University International, formerly a division of Touro College in New York City; a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Cincinnati; a bachelor’s degree in economics from Morehouse College in Atlanta; and a certificate in applied neuroscience from MIT Sloan School of Management.

SPRINGFIELD — Jennifer Beineke has been named the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award at Western New England University (WNEU). She is a professor of Mathematics in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. Winners of this prestigious award are nominated by students, faculty, and administrators for outstanding contributions as educators and advisors.

During the review process, current and former students praised Beineke as somebody who “made me see the beauty of mathematics” and “always pushed us to be our best.” Another added, “when I walked out of her classroom for the final time, I knew I was a different student and person than the one who had walked in.”

Faculty members describe Beineke as having “a natural gift for explaining challenging concepts,” and “using a variety of methods to engage students in thinking about and solving problems.”

Beineke, who has been teaching at WNEU since 2001, received undergraduate degrees in mathematics and French from Purdue University, and earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA. Her research is in the area of analytic number theory. In conjunction with the National Museum of Mathematics, she recently co-edited the three-volume series The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects.

SPRINGFIELD — Sharianne Walker has been named dean of the Western New England University (WNEU) College of Business. Linda Jones, university provost, recently made the announcement, citing Walker’s dedication and commitment to the College of Business and her record of spearheading accreditation, strategic planning, and assessment projects at the university.

Walker joined the College of Business faculty in 1996, most recently serving as chair and professor of Sport Management, as well as co-director of the master of science in Sport Leadership and Coaching graduate program.

Walker is the co-author of the texts Managing Intercollegiate Athletics, Managing Sport Organizations: Responsibility for Performance, and Strategic Management in International Sport Management. Her current research focuses on revenue- and resource-development models in sports organizations, strategic management, and leadership. She has presented her research on leadership development, business operations, and revenue generation at various international, national, and regional conferences.

An influential figure in the growth of WNEU’s athletics program, she has served as a faculty fellow, an NCAA faculty representative, and chair of the Western New England Athletics Council, Athletic Direct Report, and was inducted into the university’s Downes Athletic Hall of Fame.

Walker was previously named Career Woman of the Year by the Massachusetts Business and Professional Women’s Assoc. and served as director of the Springfield Leadership Institute. She is currently chair of the board of trustees of Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park in Florence.

Walker earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Smith College, and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in sport management from the University of Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) General Counsel Cheryl Smith was honored at the 15th annual “Leaders in the Law” event presented by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The event was held on March 5 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

Smith was chosen from a field of nominees across the Commonwealth for the 2020 In-House Leader Award. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Leader Awards recognize general counsel and staff attorneys who are nominated by their colleagues, clients, and other legal professionals for being leaders in the community and forward thinkers.

For the past two decades, Smith had managed all litigation commenced against WNEU. She also supervised the legal and contractual aspects of a complex new ERP for the university. Additionally, for the past two years, she has served as the Title IX coordinator.

“Attorney Smith practices a special kind of leadership,” said Anthony Caprio, Western New England University president. “Her actions exemplify the noble traditions of the legal profession that are recognized and honored through this In-House Leaders in the Law award. I am thrilled to see her receive this recognition. Cheryl stands tall and always demonstrates that she can best lead folks through the issues at hand, however emotional or complex they may be.”

Smith began her academic career at Wellesley College and concluded at Western New England School of Law in 1983. At WNEU, she is a senior lecturer for “Human Resource Management,” “Legal Aspects of Human Resources,” “Business Law,” and “Business Communication.”

SPRINGFIELD — For the third consecutive year, the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) Chapter at Western New England University earned the “highest honors” designation for its campus engagement and programming for the 2018-19 academic year.

According to Beta Gamma Sigma CEO Chris Carosella, earning highest honors “is indicative of a campus where academic excellence is highly valued and where the faculty and chapter leaders work diligently to enhance Beta Gamma Sigma’s stature on campus.”

One indicator of this engagement is participation at the annual Global Leadership Summit (GLS), which chapter President Tessa Wood and Secretary Kathryn Wells attended last year. The GLS enables delegates to participate in professional-development workshops and share best practices with student leaders from other BGS chapters worldwide.

Marielle Heijltjes, chair of the Beta Gamma Sigma board of governors, extended her congratulations in a letter to College of Business Dean Sharianne Walker. In response, Walker said she is “delighted to see the students’ efforts recognized for all their hard work. I’m so proud that the WNE chapter has maintained its high level of engagement deserving of this recognition.”

BGS is the international honor society of AACSB-accredited business schools. Students who rank among the top 10% of their undergraduate class and top 20% of graduate programs are eligible for lifetime membership.