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University-Town of Amherst Collaborative (UTAC)
The University-Town of Amherst Collaborative (UTAC) is a joint initiative of the Town of Amherst and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is made up of Amherst residents, UMass Amherst town and university officials, and UMass Amherst students. UTAC is an advisory council to the town manager and chancellor which provides leadership and ideas, while building support for future joint endeavors.
UTAC is a direct result of the Town Gown Steering Committee, created in 2013 with a joint commitment by Amherst and UMass to hire a consultant to aid in the development of a shared economic development and housing vision. The committee worked with U3 Advisors of Philadelphia on the UMass/Amherst Housing and Economic Development Plan upon which all future work is based.
Nancy Buffone (Executive Committee co-chair)
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
David Ziomek (Executive Committee co-chair)
Assistant Town Manager
Dawn Bond (Housing co-chair)
Director of Student Services, Residential Life
Alisa Brewer
Amherst Select Board Member
James D. Capistran (Economic Development co-chair)
Executive Director, UMass Innovation Institute
Shane Conklin
Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services
Shawn Farley (Culture, Arts & Living co-chair)
Director of Marketing, Fine Arts Center (co-chair)
John Kuhn (Housing co-chair)
Senior Principal, Kuhn Riddle Architects; Board of Directors, Amherst BID
Eric Nakajima (Economic Development co-chair)
Former Director, Massachusetts Broadband Institute/Amherst resident
Carol Ross (Culture, Arts & Living co-chair)
Media and Climate Specialist, Amherst Together
Marilyn Blaustein
Assistant Chancellor for Institutional Research
Oliver Broudy
Journalist/Director and Creator, Amherst Live
Shawn Farley (co-chair)
Director of Marketing, Fine Arts Center
Carol Johnson
Executive Director, Amherst Cinema Arts Center
Sandy Litchfield
Assistant Professor, Architecture
Shelly Perdomo
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Advocacy and Inclusion
Kamil Peters
Artist/Sculpter
Carol Ross (co-chair)
Coordinator, Amherst Together
Rene Theberge
Chair, Amherst Public Art Commission
Jane Wald
Executive Director, Emily Dickinson Museum
Clare Bertrand
Amherst Town Meeting Member; Amherst Office Park
Natalie Blais
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chancellor
James D. Capistran (co-chair)
Executive Director, UMass Innovation Institute
Christine Gray-Mullen
Member, Amherst Planning Board
David Jensen
Professor, School of Computer Science
Sarah la Cour
Executive Director, Amherst Business Improvement District
Eric Nakajima (co-chair)
Director, Massachusetts Broadband Institute
Tripp Peake
General Partner, Long River Ventures
Bill Wooldridge
Director, Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship
Dawn Bond (co-chair)
Director of Student Services, Residential Life
Andrew Churchill
Executive Director, Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative; Amherst Town Meeting Member
Laura Fitch
Kraus-Fitch Architects, Amherst, MA
John Kuhn (co-chair)
Senior Principal, Kuhn Riddle Architects; Board of Directors, Amherst BID
Sally Linowski
Associate Dean Off-Campus Student Life
Douglas Marshall
Project Planner/Manager, Facilities & Campus Services
Ken Rosenthal
Resident and Neighborhood Representative; Hampshire College board member
Greg Stutsman
Co-chair Amherst Housing and Sheltering Committee; Amherst Planning Board
Nathaniel Whitmal
Associate Professor, Communication Disorders
For UTAC updates, news, and documents, please click here.
Contact Information
David Ziomek
UTAC Executive Committee Co-Chair & Assistant Town Manager, Town of Amherst
413-259-3122
ziomekd@amherstma.gov
Nancy Buffone
UTAC Executive Committee Co-Chair & Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
413-577-1101
buffone@umass.edu
Tony Maroulis
UTAC Director & Executive Director of External Relations and University Events
413-545-2574
tonymaroulis@umass.edu
Geoff Kravitz
UTAC Director & Economic Development Director, Town of Amherst
413-259-3079
kravitzg@amherstma.gov