By Sam Dysdale, State House News Service
UMass President Marty Meehan pulled from inside his leadership team to put an interim leader in place at the university’s Boston campus.
Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco plans to leave in February, he announced in September, and the university announced Thursday that Nefertiti Walker will serve as interim chancellor of UMass Boston. Suárez-Orozco has a seven-year run.
Walker joined Meehan’s leadership team in June 2023, first as deputy vice president, then as senior vice president for academic affairs, which oversees academic quality and student equity across the five-campus system.
She leads the university’s AI Task Force, which is focused on “working across the five campuses to advance technology and innovation across teaching, learning, research and administration,” per UMass.
Walker previously served as vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at UMass Amherst and associate dean for an inclusive organization at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management. Walker established the business school’s first Office of Equity and Inclusion.
She also serves on the Advisory Council to Advance Representation in Education, a governor-appointed council that reports to the governor’s executive team.
“I have always had a special appreciation for the inspiring mission of UMass Boston and for the incredible faculty, staff, and students who bring that mission to life,” Walker said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with and supporting all members of Boston’s public research university through this transition.”
The university said she will be spending time on campus this semester “to work closely with Chancellor Suárez-Orozco to ensure a smooth transition.”
Suárez-Orozco says he is stepping down to focus on global climate resilience and ethical development of artificial intelligence, according to UMass.
In a message to UMass Boston students and stakeholders, Meehan said he would solicit feedback from the campus in the months ahead to conduct a “diligent, thoughtful, and inclusive national search process” for a permanent replacement to fill the chancellor role.
