BURLINGTON, MA— UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney, the first woman to serve as chancellor of UMass Lowell in the 121-year history of the institution, will be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 14th Annual Woman of the Year Awards gala on Friday, organizers of the event said.
“We are truly honored that Chancellor Moloney will grace the occasion with her keynote address and will be our Chief Guest at the 14th Annual Woman of the Year Awards gala,” said Upendra Mishra, publisher of INDIA New England News, the region’s oldest and largest online, print and video magazine servicing the community. “With about 450 guests, it is going to be an spectacular event. It is a great was to honor 20 Outstanding Women.”
American Idol star Sonika Vaid, who reached 5th place in the national singing competition, will also perform at the event.
The Woman of the Year Awards Gala, which honors 20 outstanding women from various fields, will be held on Friday, June 3, at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The event will also bestow Lifetime Achievement Award to Jasmine Shah, and honor Woman of the Year 2016.
Moloney, a national leader in innovation in higher education, is the first woman to serve as chancellor of UMass Lowell in the 121-year history of the institution.
Appointed chancellor in 2015, Moloney had been executive vice chancellor since 2007, selected by former chancellor Marty Meehan to lead his executive team.
Shortly after being appointed executive vice chancellor, Moloney oversaw a comprehensive restructuring of the organization, making it more student-focused and entrepreneurial. Since 2007, UMass Lowell has increased operating revenues by 103 percent, eliminated a structural budget deficit and implemented a sustainable financial plan.
Moloney personally oversees divisions that comprise one-third of the $378 million operating budget, including key revenue-generating functions such as the Division of Student Affairs and the Division of Online and Continuing Education.
Moloney also leads the university’s engagement in economic development and entrepreneurship activities. She created UMass Lowell’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, which has brought in more than $10 million in external funding and created partnerships with numerous public and private organizations, including the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.
She established the DifferenceMaker Program, which engages more than 6,000 students annually in creative problem-solving through entrepreneurship. She co-chairs the annual Deshpande Symposium for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education.
In 2010, the Sloan Consortium (now the Online Learning Consortium) named Moloney to the inaugural class of Sloan-C Fellows for her distinguished service and leadership in the field of online education. In 2009, Sloan-C recognized her with the Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning by an Individual, the organization’s equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. Moloney is also the recipient of several other honors including Girls Inc. of Lowell’s Woman of the Year, selection to the Lowell Sun’s inaugural Salute To Women and the House of Hope Volunteer Award.
Moloney is a “double River Hawk,” a term given to those with more than one degree from UMass Lowell. She earned her bachelor’s in sociology in 1975 and her doctorate from the Graduate School of Education in 1992. She also holds a master of arts in social psychology from Goddard College.
