Ben Vinson III, IRT ’92
Dr. Vinson was named a Harvard Hutchins Center fellow at the Afro-Latin American Research Institute. Congratulations!
Stephen Zrike, IRT ’01
Congratulations to Dr. Zrike, who was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey as Secretary of Education. Read the official press release on this appointment.
Karina Fernández Montilla, IRT ’06
Karina received the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Award by the ACE Women’s Network in Massachusetts. The award honors a champion of change whose vision and contributions are focused on changing structural systems for the advancement of women in Massachusetts colleges and universities. Read more about the award and Karina’s work.
Karina also received a staff recognition award at the Black History Month Showcase that recognizes staff and faculty at Hampshire College who often work behind the scenes without enough appreciation. Congratulations!
I am honored to have been nominated and to be recognized alongside colleagues who are so dedicated to supporting transformative educational spaces like Hampshire College.
Beau Gaitors, IRT ’07
Gaitors is an Assistant Professor of World History at the University of Tennessee and shares the publication of his book chapter: “México and the Contested Road to Abolition: The Case of Coahuila y Tejas, 1821-1837” in Afro-Mexican Lives in the Long Nineteenth Century, published by Cambridge University Press, 2025.
Ryan Sermon, IRT ’10, ’12
Ryan is one of the 2026 HigherEdMilitary Fellows — an initiative that supports emerging voices within the military‑affiliated higher education community.
Elena Rosario, IRT ’14
Elena earned their Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan and is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Fairfield University.
Amanda Bennett, IRT ’16
Congratulations to Amanda, who was chosen as the ninth poet laureate for the town of Carrboro, North Carolina. Dr. Bennett received her Ph.D. in Literature from Duke University and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and founder of define&empower.
Savita Maharaj, IRT ’21
Savita has been accepted to attend the Fifth Annual Black Feminist Theory Summer Institute hosted by Duke University’s Department of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies. The program takes place August 3-7, 2026, and will focus on interdisciplinary Black feminist scholarship that attends to crisis.
The Black Women’s Studies Association is holding a virtual symposium on April 17 and 18th featuring three IRT Alumni. This year’s theme is We Hold the World Together.
- Jessica Samuel, IRT ’15 Conference Chair
- Keisha-Khan Perry, IRT ’98 Keynote Speaker
- Jallicia Jolly, IRT ’13 Roundtable Panelist
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers 