Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement

The Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement has a mission to to enhance leadership development opportunities for a diverse and engaged student body by empowering students to practice Everyday Leadership, social responsibility, and mutual respect.

Main Campus Building exterior within the campus quad on a bright, sunny day

Our vision is to strengthen competency, foster equity, and work to close the opportunity gap for students through collaborative programming, leadership development, and enrichment opportunities.  

This center and its programming are made possible by the philanthropy of Simmons alumna and trustee Jennifer Eckert ’08 MSW. At its core, the center will enable Simmons to more explicitly and intentionally embed leadership within a student’s experience from the moment they’re accepted, furthering the university’s work as one of Boston’s premier leadership institutions.

Initiatives supported by the Eckert Center include a fellowship program that enables graduate students to lead projects on diversity, equity, and inclusion while receiving professional leadership coaching; the Simmons Bridge Program, which enhances incoming first-year BIPOC students’ opportunities to connect and thrive in the Simmons community; and opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in community service, citizenship, and leadership development throughout their time at Simmons.

The Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement

The Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership and Engagement has a mission to to enhance leadership development opportunities for a diverse and engaged student body by empowering students to practice Everyday Leadership, social responsibility, and mutual respect.

Center Staff


Staff

Tasha Baclawski

Program Coordinator

Elysia Johnson

Assistant Director, Student Leadership & Activities

Christy Lusiak

Director, Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement

The Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement in the News

The LGBTQIA+ lounge space at Simmons

Welcome to the Simmons LGBTQIA+ Lounge

In honor of LGBTQIA+ History Month, we welcome the LGBTQIA+ community at Simmons to gather in their new lounge, located in the Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement.


Students taking a selfie with Stormy, the Simmons mascot

Getting Ready for Orientation 2024

Orientation Leaders Katelyn Fox ’25 and Maggie Wettergren ’26 share the inside scoop on First Bite Orientation, June 13 and 14.


Karla Alba ’23, Inaugural Jennifer Eckert Leadership Fellow

Karla Alba ’23, Inaugural Jennifer Eckert Leadership Fellow for DEI, Knows the Importance of Difficult Conversations

Jennifer Eckert '08MSW, a member of the Simmons University Board of Trustees, provided a generous donation to support the mission of Simmons University to become a beacon of leadership in the world of higher education. A portion of these funds...


Photo of Simmons in the Spring

Significant Gift Invests in Simmons University’s Vision For Educating Inclusive “Everyday Leaders”

Simmons University today announced a new $5 million gift from Simmons alumna and Trustee Jennifer Eckert to expand the scope and impact of its innovative approach to leadership education throughout the institution. The gift will create the new Jennifer Eckert...


Leadership in the News

Graduates Karen MacKenzie '10,'12MSW and daughter Jen DiRico '12MBA at the 2012 Simmons Commencement.

Mother and Daughter Alumnae Reflect on Shared Simmons Pride

To commemorate Simmons’ 125th anniversary, we spoke with Karen MacKenzie ’10, ’12MSW and her daughter Jennifer “Jen” DiRico ’12MBA about graduating alongside one another, Simmons’ spirit of inclusivity, and the formative power of a women’s-centered education.


Susan MacKenty Brady speaking at the 2023 Leadership Conference

Institute for Inclusive Leadership CEO Responds to “the Broken Rung” on CBS News

According to Susan MacKenty Brady, “a massive amount of value is lost when we aren’t fully tapping into the available talent in our organizations. . . . The traction of early promotion is where we need to mend, and where we need to lift up and create more resources and more opportunity for women.”


Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason delivering a public lecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa

Professor Visits University of Johannesburg as Fulbright Specialist

Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason received a Fulbright Specialist Award this year. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist awards are "selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad."


The words Be Kind written among several photos drawn in chalk on pavement

Simmons Social Work Doctoral Student Awards Kindest Kids in America

Jessie Hansen ’26DSW recently started the program The Kindest Kid in America, which awards young students who are exemplars of kindness. Hansen is a representative of Think Kindness, an organization that aims to promote acts of kindness in school and communities.


The logo of The Boston Globe Horn Book Awards

Simmons Children’s Lit Alum on Judging the Horn Book Awards

Rodney Fierce ’12MA, a Humanities Teacher at Sonoma Academy, shares what led him to study children’s literature, his work at the Academy, and his recent experience on the Horn Book Awards Committee.


Bridgett Johnson-Pride

The Extroverted Archivist: Engaging the Underrepresented in Archives

Bridgett Johnson-Pride '18MAMS was named Director of Public Services for Archives and Special Collections at Harvard University in October, 2023. We caught up with Johnson-Pride about her current role, and how she engages with patrons as an extroverted archivist.


The logo for the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Doctoral Candidate Named Acting Director of Institute of Museum and Library Services

Cyndee Landrum, a student in the Simmons University Library and Information Science PhD, was named Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) this March. In honor of Library Card Sign-up Month, we share this interview with Landrum about her studies at Simmons and goals at IMLS.


Chief Justice Amy L. Nechtem

Simmons Alumna and Chief Justice Advances System Improvements in Child Welfare in Massachusetts and Nationally

The Honorable Amy L. Nechtem ’76 is the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court Department, protecting the safety, health, and wellbeing of children residing in the state. Chief Justice Nechtem spoke with us about her her commitment to systems enhancement affecting vulnerable children and families, both influenced by the early impact of the Simmons sisterhood.


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