Mari Castañeda , dean of Commonwealth Honors College, was recently selected to be chair of the Executive Board of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network in Massachusetts.

“Being asked to serve in this role is both humbling and deeply meaningful. I’m truly honored that my fellow board members have placed their trust in me as the new chair,” Castañeda says of her appointment to the organization, which is part of a national system of networks within each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia with the goal of advancing and supporting women in higher education.

Castañeda has been active with ACE Women’s Network in Massachusetts since 2023, when she first joined the organization’s board . In her role as board chair, she will host a networking reception at the annual New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) conference in December and work closely with presidential mentor Nancy Niemi, president of Framingham State University.

“I am thrilled to be in community with President Niemi and my fellow board members, which I know will broaden our network’s conversations about women leaders in higher education as well as inform my own trajectory as dean of Commonwealth Honors College,” she explains.

UMass Amherst is also an institutional sponsor of the ACE Women’s Network in Massachusetts. More information about the network can be found at https://massacenetworkdotorg.wordpress.com .