Courtney Jones Carney and Mike Humphrys receive the highest honor given to exempt or non-exempt employees at University System of Maryland institutions.
Two University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) staff members have been recognized with University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents Staff Awards, the highest honor bestowed by the board for the achievements and impact of the work of exempt and non-exempt staff employees from USM institutions.
Courtney Jones Carney, DPA, MBA, executive director, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement, and director, Intercultural Center, was honored in the Inclusion, Multiculturalism, and Social Justice category. Mike Humphrys, MSc, technical director, Microbiome Service Laboratory, Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), was recognized in the category of Exceptional Contribution to the Institution and/or Unit to Which a Person Belongs.
“Every time I hear about an experience that’s changed a student’s life, or a program that enriches our communities, or a process that improves our service, I know there are dozens of staff behind the scenes who made it happen,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD. “And so every year, when we pick just a few of these employees to honor — among thousands doing extraordinary things every day — you can be sure they represent the best of us.”
Jones Carney: ‘Change Agent’
Jones Carney has been making an impact at UMB since arriving more than 10 years ago, first as director of the Interprofessional Student Learning and Service Initiative. Among her many accomplishments, she developed a Safe Space program to ensure a welcoming and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty, and created the President’s Student Leadership Institute, a co-curricular leadership development program that engages students from across UMB’s seven schools to become culturally competent leaders.
In her current role, Jones Carney supervises multiple departments engaged in advancing inclusion, multiculturalism, and social justice at UMB. This includes leading the Intercultural Center, which was created in 2020 to serve as a space of inclusion and belonging for historically marginalized students. The Intercultural Center also launched a Student Pantry to meet the needs of students, particularly those who are experiencing food insecurity.
In addition, Jones Carney is the creator and director of the University of Maryland Graduate School’s Master of Science in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program, the first of its kind in Maryland that aims to professionally train DEI practitioners. She also is the co-creator and director of the Graduate School’s Intercultural Leadership Certificate program.
“Winning this award came at the right time,” Jones Carney said. “There is currently a national assault on DEI through disinvestment in DEI budgets, disproportionate layoffs of DEI practitioners, and 40 anti-DEI bills introduced throughout the country. Receiving this award recenters DEI in the higher education landscape and is a symbol of recognition for the impactful work of the Intercultural Center, the UMB Student Pantry, our student leadership initiatives, and the launching of Maryland’s first organizational DEI leadership master’s program — the Master of Science in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership [MS-DEIL].
“I am most proud of launching the MS-DEIL program, which has doubled in cohort size since its initial launch in fall 2022, from 15 in 2022 to more than 30 in 2023,” she added. “DEI leaders have been calling for a multipronged approach to the professionalization of DEI leadership. With the profession under intense scrutiny, the MS-DEIL offers curricula that contributes to the professionalization of the field while preparing practitioners to engage in meaningful DEI leadership.”
Rosemary Ferreira, MEd, associate director, Intercultural Center, who works closely with Jones Carney, nominated her colleague for the award.
“Dr. Jones Carney’s dedication to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and social justice has resulted in programs and initiatives that have had a lasting impact on numerous students, staff, and faculty at UMB and beyond,” Ferreira said. “Outside of her direct responsibilities, Courtney is often called upon by schools and departments to facilitate workshops and dialogues on race, racism, privilege, microaggressions, and other topics related to identity and social justice.”
Patty Alvarez, PhD, MS, assistant vice president of student affairs, called Jones Carney “a change agent who has advanced diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and anti-racism throughout UMB and USM.”
“Courtney consistently goes above and beyond due to her personal and professional commitment to equity and inclusive excellence,” Alvarez added. “The quality and quantity of work she leads daily is amazing. She is an authentic leader whose commitment to creating inclusive, equitable, and just environments is evident through her words and actions.”
Humphrys: ‘Visionary Leader’
Humphrys was honored for leveraging his technical and operational knowledge to set up a high-throughput COVID-19 testing facility at the outset of the pandemic in 2020 by repurposing the robotic equipment in his core laboratory.
“Mike rapidly gathered support from IGS leadership, University of Maryland Pathology Associates, and University of Maryland Medical Center staff and started preparations to operationalize a certified testing lab weeks before anyone else,” said Jacques Ravel, PhD, acting director, IGS. “The impact of Mike’s insight was felt far and well beyond UMSOM. The Maryland Department of Health identified the operation as a critical element to its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and funded a technical expansion of the laboratory, which led to Marylanders receiving free tests and results that were returned to them within 24 hours.”
In summer 2020, Ravel said, Maryland private and public universities and colleges evaluated a partial in-person return to campus for fall 2020 and realized that without testing it would not be possible. Humphrys and his team operationalized the testing of thousands of students and staff on a weekly or twice-weekly basis at many USM campuses, several private universities, and 20-plus nursing homes.
“Mike inspired all of those who were involved in this effort — across the UMB campus and across the state — through his calm and steady leadership, his deep knowledge of the science behind the testing, and his work ethic, ingenuity and collaborative approach,” Ravel said. “In the end, his early vision, insight, and perseverance in seeing it through were critical to improving the health of people in Maryland during this pandemic.”
UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, called Humphrys “a visionary leader and an integral asset not only to the UMB community, but also to the state of Maryland.”
“I have chosen the word ‘visionary’ to describe Mike because he had the foresight to act quickly and pivot Maryland Genomics’ lab to help the state of Maryland when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020,” Jarrell added. “Mike innovatively transformed the lab testing spaces and streamlined his team to take on the new challenges of testing individuals, as well as examining viral genomes to track the evolving variants. He also served on task forces for internal and outside organizations providing guidance on their pandemic responses.”
Humphrys also was honored along with his laboratory team in 2021 in the On the Front Lines: UMB Champions of Excellence campaign. (Read the story.)
Jones Carney and Humphrys are the first UMB employees to win the USM Staff Award since 2020, when three staff members were recognized. They will each receive a $2,000 stipend and a plaque in recognition of the award Sept. 22 during a USM Board of Regents meeting.