Read about Courtney Jones Carney, who has spent much of her 15 years at UMB ensuring that everyone feels that they belong, in the latest issue of “CATALYST.”
Photo: The “You Belong” sticker “serves as a daily reminder for me to center the work of belonging in everything I do,” says Courtney Jones Carney, DPA, MBA. The “Change Maker” pin was distributed to the Master of Science in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Leadership inaugural cohort. Photo by Matthew D’Agostino
Courtney Jones Carney, DPA, MBA, has a sticker on her computer that reads: “You belong at UMB.”
It’s a fitting message for Jones Carney, program director and assistant professor, University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies (UMSGS), and assistant vice president of student success, leadership, and engagement in the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Division of Student Affairs. From students to employees, she has spent much of her 15 years at UMB ensuring that everyone feels as if they belong at the University.
“That message captures the core of my work — contributing to the creation of an institution where everyone knows they belong,” Jones Carney said of the sticker that was distributed during the 2024 Student Experience Survey. “The idea of student success is often closely tied to a sense of both professional and personal belonging. The sticker serves as a daily reminder for me to center the work of belonging in everything I do.”
Her work has included launching UMSGS’ Intercultural Leadership Certificate, which helped lay the foundation for the Master of Science in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Leadership (MS-DEIL). On Jones Carney’s desk is a small pin that reads “Change Maker.” The pin was distributed to the MS-DEIL inaugural cohort, and many of the students wore it during their graduation ceremony in 2024.
While that program is being sunset, Jones Carney continues to shape leaders who are committed to equity- and person-centered leadership.
“One of the highlights of my time at UMB has been the opportunity to help create and launch academic programs within the School of Graduate Studies,” she said. “This academic year, we launched the Master of Science in Leadership for Organizational Change and the Leading Across Difference post-baccalaureate certificate. I am grateful for the opportunity to steward this work and teach students who are passionate about creating sustainable and meaningful organizational change.”
She said she is excited about continuing the development of the Leadership for Organizational Change program and the Leading Across Difference certificate.
“Many professionals are formally and informally tasked with leading initiatives related to organizational culture and change, often without having had formal opportunities to study how to do that work effectively,” she said.
She said she plans to distribute the Change Maker pin to this year’s DEIL and Leadership for Organizational Change graduates “as a symbol of their commitment to creating positive and sustained change within organizations.”
Jones Carney also keeps an unusual item on her desk that reminds her to face her fears as she works as a change maker: a taxidermy squirrel given to her by a former UMSGS colleague.
“The squirrel was gifted to me in fall 2018 while I was developing the Intercultural Leadership post-baccalaureate certificate,” she said. “I am, admittedly, quite afraid of squirrels. The squirrel was given as a slightly devious but thoughtful gift, accompanied by a note encouraging me not to let fear get in the way of accomplishing the goals in front of me at that time: launching the certificate program and completing my doctoral degree.”
Learn more about Courtney Jones Carney and her work in the spring issue of CATALYST.
The latest issue of "CATALYST" magazine celebrates the students and alumni who represent the future of Maryland’s health, law, and social work professions. Read about a School of Nursing alumna who turned her 2023 Grid Pitch idea into Ryan’s Place, a health care center in Gaithersburg, Md.; how Maryland Carey Law’s Law and Health Care Program prepares students to serve; a School of Dentistry graduate who studies gene therapies to prevent and treat cleft lip; a School of Social Work graduate who has been appointed to Maryland’s Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs; and the School of Pharmacy’s newly launched, one-of-a-kind MS in Artificial Intelligence for Drug Development program.