Fitchburg State University President Donna Hodge is proud to announce its five new Presidential Fellows for the academic year.
The Fellows Program was launched in 2024 with the goal of fostering leadership growth among faculty and librarians by providing a unique professional development opportunity. The fellows represent President Hodge and the President’s Office and contribute to university- and community-wide initiatives that further Fitchburg State’s mission, vision and core values.
The 2025-26 Presidential Fellows are:
- Professor DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld (English Studies Department);
- Associate Professor Jonathan Harvey (Humanities Department);
- Professor Denise Sargent (Education Department);
- Associate Professor Deborah Stone (Nursing Department); and
- Connie Strittmatter (Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library).
Re-appointed Fellows include Professor Katharine Covino (English Studies Department), Professor Laura Garofoli (Psychological Sciences Department), Assistant Professor Dustin Halterman (Education Department) and Associate Professor Lindsay Parisi (Exercise and Sports Science Department).
“Our Presidential Fellows represent the best of Fitchburg State’s commitment to bold ideas and collective progress. By giving our faculty and librarians the time and platform to lead projects of their own design, we are investing not only in their professional growth but in the transformation of our university and the communities we serve,” President Hodge said.
Professor David Weiss will coordinate this year’s Presidential Fellows Program.
“This program reflects a simple but powerful truth: leadership is not confined to titles or offices. It is cultivated in classrooms, libraries, and laboratories—and it flourishes when people are trusted to innovate. I am proud of this year’s Fellows, and I look forward to the ways their work will advance our mission as the number one state university in Massachusetts,” Hodge said.
"At Fitchburg State University, the Presidential Fellows exemplify the kind of leadership that inspires progress—rooted in purpose, driven by curiosity, and committed to making a lasting impact on our campus and beyond," said Weiss.
The Presidential Fellows will have the opportunity to propose, engage, and see to fruition a focused project or initiative of their choosing, in consultation with the President’s Office, which is meaningful, impactful, and elevates the “Number One State University” throughout the North Central Region, Massachusetts, and beyond.