Bridgewater Alumni Association Award Winners 2020

Dr. Catherine Comeau Award for Professional Achievement

Barbara Stevens, ’76

In the history of NCAA women's basketball, only six coaches have amassed at least 1,000 career victories, an elite group that includes Bentley University's Hall of Fame coach, Barbara Stevens.

Stevens, the only non-Division I coach in that exclusive club and a 2020 selection for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joined the late Pat Summitt (Tennessee), Tara VanDerveer (Stanford), Geno Auriemma (Connecticut) and Sylvia Hatchell (North Carolina) in the 1,000-win club when her team dispatched Adelphi University, 78-66, on January 17, 2018. Stevens retired in June 2020, fourth all-time in career victories with a 43-year record of 1058-291.

The pinnacle of Stevens' coaching career came March 28, 2014, when her 28th Bentley team capped off a perfect season, 35-0, with a come-from-behind 73-65 win over West Texas A&M for the program's first-ever NCAA Division II national championship.

Stevens, a five-time Russell Athletic/WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year (including 2013 and 2014), posted a record of 901-200 in 34 Bentley seasons.

Stevens’ total 1058 career victories came in 1349 games, resulting in a career winning percentage of .784. Do the math and you’ll see that she is more than 750 games over .500!

The most impressive statistic is the fact that Barbara Stevens’ Bentley teams have averaged 26.5 wins a season. That’s while playing a 26 or 27-game regular season schedule over most of her tenure!

Barbara, who has seen a number of her former players go on to coach in the college ranks, has also reached the top of her profession off the court, serving as the 1994-95 President of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. No other Division II coach has ever headed the 4,000-member organization.

Barbara came to Bentley in 1986 after three years as Head Coach at University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass). The 1976 Bridgewater State product began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Clark during the 1976-77 season. “Barby” was promoted to head coach the following year and met with a great deal of success during her six seasons at helm, winning nearly 75 percent of time. The Cougars averaged better than 20 wins a season and reached the NCAA Division III Final Four in both 1982 and 1983.

At UMass, Barbara had a three-year record of 34-49 while coaching in the highly competitive Atlantic 10 Conference. During her tenure at UMass, that conference frequently had three teams ranked in the top twenty.

Stevens was one of 100 members of the charter induction class into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in October 2002, and both the Clark and Bridgewater State Halls of Fame have also called her name.

In 2002, Stevens was presented with the prestigious Carol Eckman Award from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, given for sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose.

In July 1994, she traveled to France and Israel as an assistant coach for the USA Select Team, marking the second straight summer she was involved in USA Basketball. In 1993, she was an assistant coach for the West team at the U.S. Olympic Festival.

Barbara is a native of Southbridge. She resides in Waltham.

Read all of Barby's stats on wikipedia  

Alfred Gomes Community Service Award

Carla B. Monteiro, ’17

Carla Monteiro currently works as a social worker and is the Founder and President of the Cape Verdean Social Workers Association. She was most recently named to Boston Business Journal’s prestigious 2020 40-Under-40 list.

Carla earned an associate degree in Human Services and a Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate from Quincy College, her BSW from Bridgewater State University, and an MSW from the Boston College School of Social Work. She serves on the Board of Directors at Nos Di Tchada I Amigos. Carla is a member of the National Association of Black Social Workers, Greater Boston Chapter, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Association of Social Workers, MA-Chapter. In 2019, Carla was appointed as one of 277 elected delegates for the National Association of Social Workers Delegate Assembly slate for Massachusetts. She is also a Big Sister with the Big Sisters Association of Greater Boston.

Last year, Carla joined colleagues and refugee organizations to aid migrants during a trip to the border of Arizona/Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. In 2017, she traveled to Washington D.C. with Bridgewater State University and Youth Service Opportunity Project (YSOP) to support people who were experiencing homelessness. Carla worked on numerous local political campaigns. She participated on mental health panels and has been a guest speaker at YEAR UP, Shana Bryant Consulting’s Let me Lead Girls Conference, Black Women and Marginalized Genders Conference 2019 (hosted by Violence in Boston), and the Boston Police Department in partnership with Mass Housings Healthy Families Women’s Group.

Carla previously worked with incarcerated men and women at the Suffolk County House of Correction and Nashua Street Jail. Carla is a certified Reiki II Practitioner and currently works for Brigham Health Bridge Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She completed her clinical internships as an ED Social Work Resident and as a Behavioral Neurology Clinical Social Work Resident. Although in the infancy of her career, Carla already has a well-established legacy of relentless advocacy for disenfranchised minorities and those in need. In May 2020, Carla was the honoree for the “Future of Social Work Award” by the National Association of Social Workers-Massachusetts Chapter.

Henry Hampton Bridge Builder Award

Dajuan Frasier, ’20

Dajuan is a member of the BSU Class of ’20 and hails from Boston, MA. He was a Sociology major with a Writing and African American Studies minor. Having been privileged with a variety of opportunities, Dajuan served as an Ambassador for the Center for Multicultural Affairs, a Crimson Alumni Ambassador, worked with BSU’s Sexual Violence and Advocacy & Support Center and is the Community Service Chair for Sister Scholars. Additionally, Dajuan spent five semesters as an RA, was an organizer and facilitator with Bridgewater Stands United and is a founding member of Word on the Beat Hip-Hop Club. Dajuan’s academic and extracurricular interests are fueled by his passion for social justice and the value of community.

Dajuan enjoys music and writing and has works published in the Bridge Journal. Upon graduating from Bridgewater State, his goal is to spend time working with youth or with community-based nonprofits and he aspires to expand his writing career and ultimately publish works of fiction.

Martha D. Jones Award

Dr. Jenny Shanahan

Jenny Olin Shanahan, Ph.D. (she/her), Assistant Provost for High-Impact Practices at BSU, provides leadership for Undergraduate Research, the Honors Program, National Fellowships, and a Research Internship program for students from underserved groups.

In her over 10 years at BSU, Dr. Shanahan has taken to heart the institution’s commitment to social justice and worked to create equitable access to high-impact and inclusive educational opportunities for all students. During her time at BSU, Dr. Shanahan has given over 20 keynote addresses across the U.S. and Canada, co-edited 6 books, and authored 14 scholarly articles. She speaks and writes about racial and social justice in higher education and inclusion and equity in mentoring students.

Dr. Shanahan holds a Ph.D. in English: Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States from Marquette University. She and her spouse, Michael Shanahan, a mental health therapist, celebrated 23 years of marriage this year. They have two young-adult sons, Aidan and Brendan, and the world's sweetest dog, a Beagle named Lambeau.

Sarah A. Lewis Distinguished Afro-American Alumni Associated Award

Ann M. Ulett, ’92

Ann is a 1992 BSU graduate who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting & Finance. She has been with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the past twenty-one years. She began her career at PwC as a Tax Associate. She then moved into the Diversity & Work Life Leader position for the Boston Office of PwC. She was responsible for the creation, promotion, and implementation of diversity,work life and inclusion programs in the office. She reported directly to the U.S. Chief Diversity Officer and the local Office Managing Partner and Market Leaders. In 2004, Ann joined the Campus Recruiting team as the Talent Acquisition Manager with the focus on leading Tax Recruiting for the Northeast Region. She is a PwC Certified Advance Facilitator.

Ann currently serves as Treasurer of the Bridgewater State University Foundation Board and serves on the Ricciardi College of Business Advisory Board. She was the past president of the Afro-American Alumni Association and co-founder of its mentor program, which matched students of color with alumni of color. She also served on several boards at BSU, including the, Hall of Black Achievement (HOBA) and the BSU Diversity Task Force.

Ms. Ulett is a recipient of the YMCA 2003 Black Achiever Award; she is a 2004 Fellows graduate of the Partnership Inc.; a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and the Association of Latino Professionals in Accounting and Finance (ALPFA) and the Onset Cape Verdean Association.

Dr. Adrian Rondileau Award

Dr. Gloria Moran, G’69

In her own words…

Bridgewater State University has awarded me many opportunities to connect the University with the town and I have been very thankful for those opportunities. The supervision of student teachers was part of my work at BSU. During that time, I had the privilege of supervising students from Manchester, England. It soon became apparent that there was a much to learn from those students as they learned from us. Thus, I wanted to extend these connections with the BSU international students. After a discussion with Sue McCombe, from the BSU Community Partnership Office and Evie DeLutis, ’63, we made an appointment with Karim Ismaili, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, to put forth the idea of connecting international students with community members. With a positive reception from Karim, this idea eventually evolved into the Conversation Partners Program through the Dr. Edward Minnock Institute for Global Engagement.

Sue “from the U,” as my husband referred to her, Evie, and I also expanded the One Book One Community reading program from a selected book once a year to a book each semester. I continue to be a member of the steering committee. The three of us have been guests on Jabbar Al-Obaudi’s In Focus cable program as well as an appearance on the Mansfield station to promote OBOC. I have co-lead book reviews at BSU, Heritage Circle Housing for the Elderly and the Bridgewater Senior Center.

From the first arrival of the Mandela Scholars, upcoming and outstanding leaders from a multitude of African countries, I have welcomed them and found ways to introduce them to the Bridgewater community. There were welcoming sessions at our home and multi-generational potluck dinners at Bridgewater United Methodist Church. It has been rewarding to continue the growth of these friendships thanks to Facebook.

I have been an active member of the steering committee of Dress a Girl Around the World whose belief is that every young girl deserves to have at least one new dress. Our small original group has grown to over 50 sewers. When COVID needs arose, we changed direction and created masks that were given out for free. Thousands were made in a few months and went to places such as nursing homes, MCI, hospitals and our small core group sewed them for both the BPD and BSUPD.

From the love of travel and photography, I have shared these trips with PowerPoint presentations at the senior center, Heritage Circle Housing and Bridgewater United Methodist Church.

When STEM nights are held, I have always made certain to bring young children to encourage their interest in science. One of my little friends always asks, “When can I do science at your school again?”

Through the senior center I have had Pen Pals at Williams Intermediate School and am currently writing to a BSU student.

When educator friends from Perm, Russia visited Bridgewater, numerous residents opened their homes to them. On another occasion a friend from Perm visited and was interested in interviewing residents for a future publication. Many stepped up and shared views with her.

The Office of Alumni & Development learned about my own horrible experiences at my undergraduate university’s 50th celebration and I wanted to make certain that BSU did not make any of those mistakes. They listened to these suggestions and acted on the ones they thought would be most useful. I was also very interested to restore the teas of yore. Although I was on the steering committee for the return of this event, illness prevented me from participating. I look forward to the next one!

Thank you so very much for the President Rondileau Award. I am very humbled. “Once a Bear, Always a Bear” and once a teacher, always a teacher.

Nicholas P. Tillinghast Award

Dr. Kris Jaeger-Helton, ’84

Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Capstone Design Program Director, Industrial Engineering
Founding Director, Galante Engineering Business Program

Dr. Beverly Kristenson Jaeger-Helton (‘Kris’) earned her undergraduate degree at Bridgewater, focusing on Cardiopulmonary Science/Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Healthcare Administration. She completed her fieldwork at Rhode Island Hospital in the Department of Orthopaedics and graduated summa cum laude from BSU. Kris went on to earn her Masters degree in Biomechanics with a focus on Neuroscience at Northeastern University (NU) in Boston in the Bouvé College of Human Development Professions. She then earned her PhD in Human-Machine Systems Engineering at Northeastern, minoring in Cognitive Psychology. Having spent some time in industry and consulting, Dr. Jaeger-Helton is currently a Full Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) at NU.

While earning her doctorate in Engineering, Kris applied her Biomechanics and Neuroscience background by joining the faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy teaching in Neuroanatomy, Clinical Kinesiology, and Biostatistics as well as teaching in the Cardiopulmonary Science program.

For her doctoral dissertation, Kris developed and constructed a computer-generated 3D training simulator for the Department of Defense, funded by a Fellowship through the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the world's largest modeling, simulation and training event. Dr. Jaeger-Helton has worked in industry leading human factors engineering audits, consulting on facilities planning and work design, and providing expertise to facilitate workforce training and improve industrial conditions. She also has consulted in process optimization, interface analysis, and product design.

At Northeastern, Kris also served as Associate Director of the Virtual Environments Laboratory in MIE, where she conducted research and advised graduate students, with a focus on human factors engineering, driving simulation, and traffic engineering. She also worked as an intern at Reebok International as a Biomechanical Engineer, conducting both mechanical testing as well as human performance research.

In the College of Engineering at NU, Kris has taught Engineering Design, Engineering Problem Solving & Computation, Simulation Modeling & Analysis, Facilities Planning & Material Handling, and Human-Machine Systems, and is now the Director of Capstone Design in Industrial Engineering, overseeing up to 90 engineering seniors, a dozen faculty members and 20 year-long industry, research, and innovation projects. At Northeastern, Kris has also developed, advised and consulted for several Capstone Design projects across Industrial, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering. In this capacity, she also has functioned as the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering liaison with the Office of Human Subjects Protection in Research with Northeastern’s IRB/DRI.

During her 20 years at NU, Dr. Jaeger-Helton has been voted Professor of the Year by students 15 times, 3 for First-year Engineering, 11 times in Industrial Engineering and once in Mechanical Engineering as well as being featured in “The Students Speak” selections in the College of Engineering. In addition, she was awarded the All-College Engineering Teaching Award as well the Mentoring Award in the College of Engineering. She credits Bridgewater for laying the teaching groundwork beyond engineering practice, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the ExCEEd Teaching program at West Point Military Academy for building on this foundation, along with countless mentors and inspirational students.

While at NU, Dr. Jaeger-Helton became the founding Director of the Galante Engineering Business Program, a BS/MS program based on the three pillars of Academics, Professional Development, and Fellowship. She generated 11 new academic BS/MS program paths through that Directorship and the Galante program is going strong today. Recently, Dr. Jaeger-Helton founded and developed the Teaching Faculty Connection in the College of Engineering at Northeastern, seeing a need for mentorship and support.

Kris’ grandmother, Elinor Meyer McGee ’33 was a graduate of the Bridgewater Normal School and Kris is the now proud owner and keeper of her grandmother’s Bridgewater yearbook as well as her class ring inscribed “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister” which was a gift from her grandmother, along with an official Bridgewater Chair.

On multiple occasions, Kris been the Keynote Speaker at the Invention Convention hosted here at BSU. She has served as a Judge many times as well has Head Judge for this event that spotlights STEM innovation.

Kris Jaeger-Helton is a member of ASCE, ASME, HFES, IISE, SAE, and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) where she served as Program Chair and Division Chair for the New Engineering Educators Division and is now a Director in the Design in Engineering Education Division. Kris has a particular focus on human performance engineering and compassionate design as well as seeking out best practices for engineering education and application of those skills. She has published much of her research through ASEE and her scholarly work with colleagues has won several Best Paper and Best Presentation Awards at ASEE, most notably Best Overall Conference Paper over 2,000+ accepted publications with the research paper “Successful Students: Smart or Tough?”. Kris also has co-authored a volume of work on studying and detecting Parkinson’s disease through engineering methods and interventions and is currently working with, publishing, and advising a team of engineers in the area of Artificial Intelligence in Biopharmaceutical process training and education.

Outside the university, Kris Jaeger-Helton is a Forensic Engineer and Expert Witness in Biomechanical Engineering, Safety, and Human Factors Engineering. She holds certifications in Motor Vehicle Collision Reconstruction and Forensic Analysis of Medical Records.

Kris lives in Foxborough, MA with her husband Thearon. They are proud of son Zach Helton and daughter Kaitlyn Helton who each live out of state. Thearon has his private pilot’s license and is working on rebuilding an airplane he owns with colleagues. Likewise, Kris is working on her pilot’s license. She is also professional tennis umpire, certified as an international Chair Umpire and Review Official with the International Tennis Federation. She has worked all 4 grand Slams (Wimbledon, Australian Open, French Open, and US Open), 3 Olympic Games and many other tennis events around the world as an official. In 2020 Kris was selected as a chair umpire for the Paralympics in Tokyo and as a Review Official for Wimbledon, both now planned for 2021. Kris is passionate about connections, lifelong learning, merging work with life interests and inspirations, and giving back in all of these areas.

Dr. Adrian Tinsley Award

Timothy Hassett-Salley, G’83, G’86

Author, Strike Two, You’re Out.

Tim Hassett Salley arrived on the Bridgewater State University campus in 1981 as a 20-year-old graduate student, having graduated from Providence College as a Psychology/Music double major. He completed his M.Ed. in Counseling in 1983, and his C.A.G.S. in Counseling in 1986, preparing him for a vocation as a psychotherapist and an avocation as a musician.

His musical journey began in 1970 as a drummer. He began playing classical guitar in 1975, and piano in 1979. He made his conducting debut with his first orchestral arrangement in 1980. Throughout the 1980's, he was active in community musical theater as a percussionist in pit orchestras and as a drum teacher for the Plymouth County Conservatory of Music.

His BSU education prepared him for a career in psychotherapy and disability management. For many years he maintained a private psychotherapy practice and co-led a men’s therapy group for the South Shore Women’s Center. His practice focused on the treatment of domestic violence and incest perpetrators. During these same years, Tim Hassett Salley also held executive level positions in the field of disability management for non-profit and for-profit companies alike. He also ran a homeless shelter as the first Executive Director of the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless.

A lifelong proponent of liberal arts education and the performing arts, Tim made his first foray into the literary arts after six years of writing with the publication of his novel, Strike Two, You’re Out. This work of fiction follows the abbreviated life of Joe Davis, an antihero for modern times. It is the story of a young man who suffers psychological trauma and proceeds through life without resolving his underlying emotional conflicts. Tim draws upon his experience as a psychotherapist to develop several characters in the book, yielding an emotional story which challenges readers to reflect on their own values.

The culmination of Tim Hassett Salley’s artistic output was the composition of the song, Two Love Birds for his novel. The song plays a dual role in the story as both a sweet “love poem” and as a double entendre-laden tune. Two Love Birds is a staple on the playlist for the band, The Dennis James Trio, in which Tim is the drummer. He is currently writing his next novel.

Tim and his wife, Cecily Hassett Salley, G’82, have three adult children and two grandchildren, and reside in Plymouth.

Dr. George A. Weygand Award

Wayne Lombardi, ’92

Wayne is a Principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the US Leader for PwC's Risk Assurance Health Services Sector.

Wayne has over 25 years of experience evaluating large IT programs, performing risk assessments, and conducting systems and business process audits. His client engagements have involved various aspects of risk management and internal control. These include SOX 404 assessments and implementations, ERP Project Assessments, information technology audits, enterprise-wide risk assessments, general and application controls assessments, and financial and operational business process reviews. Wayne also has experience leading large-scale multi-phased projects. His areas of specialties include healthcare payers and providers, information technology, risk management and controls, large-scale program and project management, operational assessment and performance improvement, and compliance. Wayne maintains a diverse client base of life sciences, healthcare payer and provider and technology clients.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Bridgewater State University and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).

Wayne lives in Franklin, MA, with his wife Sandie and daughter Kathryn. He loves spending time with family and playing a variety of sports including mixed martial arts and golf, and is an avid Boston sports fan. Wayne, Sandie and Kathryn also enjoy the beautiful New England Summers at their Cape house in Eastham, MA.