This year the university is pleased to announce Payne Hiraldo, M.Ed., and Courtney Giles, Ph.D., as the HERS Leadership Institute for Women’s 2023-2024 participants from UVM. Please join us in congratulating these dedicated and talented faculty and staff members at UVM.
Payne Hiraldo, M.Ed., Associate Director for Residence Education. With over a decade of experience in higher education and residence life, Payne has dedicated her career at UVM to supporting student success. Her job supporting students and maintaining the residence halls’ day-to-day operations involves working closely with students and across other departments in support of students’ personal growth and wellbeing while living and learning on campus. As an advocate for all students, Payne is focused on ways to incorporate critical race theory into higher education and supporting marginalized perspectives and voices as a centralized contributor in discussions of race and racism. Payne is an alum, holding an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College.
Courtney Giles, Ph.D., Director of Curricular Enrichment in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences(CEMS), and Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Courtney works with faculty and students to improve the quality of academic programs in CEMS. She has supported the academic mission of CEMS by facilitating faculty development, coordinating curricular changes, and continuously promoting inclusive and innovative pedagogies to ensure engagement of under-represented students in STEM. Additionally, she is a recipient of the 2021 CEMS Professional Service Award, is a Faculty Fellow with the UVM Office of Community Engaged Learning, and has served on the Center for Teaching and Learning Advisory Board. Currently, she co-chairs the CEMS Pedagogical Innovation Committee and serves on the UVM Global Trek Committee. A first-generation college student, she holds a Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UVM, a B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Environmental Geochemical Sciences from the SUNY-New Paltz.
The HERS Leadership Institute has become an important part of professional development for women-identified leaders at UVM. Dozens of faculty and staff from across campus have participated in this transformative program and gained leadership competences that benefit our institution and other higher education institutions across the globe. To learn more about HERS and to see a list of UVM participants, visit the HERS webpage.