Western New England names new president
SPRINGFIELD — The board of trustees of Western New England University appointed of Joseph C. Hartman as the university’s seventh president. Hartman will assume the role on June 1, 2026.
Hartman currently serves as provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he has led academic affairs since 2019.
His leadership experience and commitment to academic innovation and student success align with Western New England University’s mission to prepare graduates for leadership and impact in a rapidly changing world. In his current role, he oversees academic strategy, faculty affairs, and student success initiatives across the institution of nearly 17,000 students and 600 faculty.
An industrial and systems engineer by training, Hartman’s research focuses on engineering economic decision analysis and applied optimization.
Hartman replaces Interim President Michael Alexander, who has served in that role since July 2025.
A native of the Chicago area, Hartman earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Karen, have three adult children: Helena, Timothy, and Patrick.
UMass Amherst Landscape Architecture honored
AMHERST — The Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a National Design Studio Award from Boston-based Envision Resilience, recognizing the program’s leadership in climate-adaptive planning and design education.
UMass is one of eight universities nationwide selected to receive the inaugural award, which supports university design studios that partner with communities to develop innovative responses to climate change.
LARP has been an active participant in the environmental nonprofit’s signature program, the annual Envision Resilience Challenge, which convenes students in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, environmental science and the arts to work directly with communities on adaptive design solutions.
The National Design Studio Award includes a $9,500 grant that will support a studio project in Boston this spring led by LARP Associate Professor Carolina Aragón and Professor Robert Ryan. Their studio will be part of Envision Resilience’s expanded national challenge, which brings together multidisciplinary student teams from universities across the United States to address climate resilience in diverse landscapes, including rivers, forests, wetlands, coastlines and urban areas.
Founded in 2020, Envision Resilience advances innovative planning and design through student and community partnerships focused on climate adaptation. Its programs have engaged more than 520 undergraduate and graduate students from 20 universities.
Grow Food adds three board members
NORTHAMPTON — Grow Food Northampton, a food and farming justice nonprofit, has added three new members to its board of directors.
The new members bring a diversity of personal and professional experience to the work of governing Grow Food, and a commitment to the values and work of the organization to both feed members of the community who are experiencing hunger, and establish a robust and just local food system for the greater Northampton area for the long-term.
The new members are:
- Dan Cannity, of Northampton, has been active in social justice causes for most of his life, and served as the co-chair of the Northampton Policing Review commission. He is excited by the possibilities and community-building spaces Grow Food is creating, and is proud to help support these efforts.
- Hellen Muma, a public health professional and public health policy associate with the Springfield Food Policy Council, where she works to advance equitable food access and strengthen local food systems. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2023 and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2024. Raised farming alongside her Kenyan immigrant parents, Muma’s work is grounded in the belief that access to nourishing food is a right, not a privilege, and that community-led solutions are essential to building just and resilient food systems.
- Mark Seifried has been an organic gardener and involved with Community Garden communities and local farms since the 1980s. As a former restaurant operator, and food pantry and soup kitchen manager, he has a passion for building community around wholesome and delicious food. Seifried presently serves as pastor and teacher of Haydenville Congregational Church, leads a private spiritual companion practice, is a community organizer, and Listening Circle facilitator.
Comia named president of land use department
SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Ken Comia, director of the Land Use and Environment Department, has been officially elected president of the American Planning Association-Massachusetts Chapter (APA-MA), effective Jan. 1.
Comia previously served as vice president for four years and brings extensive experience in regional planning, sustainability, and community engagement to this leadership role.
Comia has led PVPC’s Land Use and Environment Department in delivering critical regional planning initiatives, including sustainable development, climate action, environmental equity, and infrastructure planning. As APA-MA president, he will help shape the state’s planning agenda, promote professional development, and advance policies that support equitable and resilient communities.
APA-MA recognizes leaders who advance the profession through service, collaboration, and vision. Comia’s election reflects his decades of dedication to planning excellence, mentorship, and regional impact.