The Executive Committee of The American Council on Education (ACE)’s Council of Fellows Board has elected Dr. Jenifer Cushman, president of University of Maine at Augusta, to serve on the ACE’s Council of Fellows Board.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to serve the ACE Fellows program in this way,” says Cushman, in a UMA news release. “My year as an ACE Fellow provided me with the most impactful professional development of my career.”

The American Council on Education (ACE) brings together higher education leaders for government advocacy and fosters innovation, collaboration, and professional development through its Fellows Program, Transformation Labs, Learning Circles, Women’s Network, numerous workshops and webinars, and the Annual Meeting. The most effective, comprehensive leadership development program in U.S. higher education today, the ACE Fellows program has been diversifying the pipeline to the college presidency for over 55 years.  

Before her Fellows year, Cushman served on the board of the ACE Internationalization Collaborative and attended an ACE Women’s Network national leadership forum. Cushman took part in the ACE Fellows program as part of the 2010-2011 cohort. That year, she, her husband, and two children, moved from central Pennsylvania, where Cushman was dean of Juniata College’s center for international education, to Purchase, New York, where she shadowed the president and provost of Manhattanville College and attended three ACE-led leadership retreats. After her ACE Fellows year, Cushman served as campus dean at Ohio University Zanesville from 2014-2016, and then chancellor of Penn State Beaver before joining UMA July 2023.  

The Council of Fellows (COF) board provides opportunities for continued professional development and networking opportunities for current and past fellows. Cushman was elected on June 1, 2024 to complete an outgoing member’s partial term, and will be eligible to serve two more three-year terms. As a board member, Dr. Cushman will be tasked with representing the Council of Fellows (COF) on key strategic issues, annually reviewing and approving priorities, finances, budgets, and operating plans, and will serve on committees.

“The ACE Fellows year helped me understand all aspects of the college presidency, from national and international trends, physical plant, and finance to cultivating boards and working with the media,” Cushman remembers. “Because of my Fellows year I am where I am today, supporting meaningful work at one of the most forward-thinking universities in our country, the University of Maine at Augusta.”

UMA transforms the lives of students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellence in student support, civic engagement, and professional and liberal arts programs. For more information, please visit https://www.uma.edu/.