Dean Anne Massey

Anne Massey joined UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management as the school’s first female dean in fall 2019. She has spent her career aligning academic programs with the technical, social, and cultural changes happening outside campus walls.

As dean, Massey has committed to pursuing initiatives that support the school’s impressive reputational gains, particularly in the areas of career success, faculty excellence, exceptional students, global perspectives, inclusive leadership, and innovative teaching.

Massey holds the Thomas O’Brien Endowed Chair, a position that helps her fulfill her vision.

“Access to the chair’s fund makes it possible for me to implement programs that make Isenberg a better place for our students, faculty, and staff,” she says.

Since 2022, the fund has supported the Isenberg Dean’s Academy, which invites 30 newly admitted students each year based on their academic achievement and potential.

“The Dean’s Academy directly impacts my ability to fulfill one of my most important strategic priorities—attracting exceptional students to Isenberg,” Dean Massey says. “These new students participate in weekly seminars, meet prominent alumni and corporate executives, and participate in leadership and community-building activities.”

Dean Massey finds it gratifying to use the endowed funds that come with her position as dean to directly enhance the academic experiences of these promising students.

“When we teach them networking skills and bring them to our annual Leaders of Impact event at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, our alumni and corporate partners are thrilled to meet them and hear about what they’re doing at Isenberg,” she says. The fund also supports the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Virtual Scholar Program. The KSE partnership was launched in July 2022, just a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One of Isenberg’s faculty members is a co-chair of the KSE Board of Directors, and Dean Massey wanted to help the school address the serious disruption of the institution’s functions, particularly in research.

“Because of the fund, we were able to move quickly and offer support at that critical time. Over the past three years, Isenberg and UMass Amherst have paired more than two dozen Ukrainian scholars with our own faculty members to work virtually on projects,” she explains. “This work has provided vital support to our scholar peers in Ukraine, but it has also been very fruitful for our own faculty, supporting my strategic priority of sustaining faculty excellence.”

Programs like these help Dean Massey bring her vision to life for the benefit of students, faculty, and community partners.