GPI - Keri Ann Sather-Wagstaff, Associate Provost

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

By Bella Grimaldi

Asst. News Editor

What is your academic and professional background?

[I earned my] bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley, 1993. [I earned my] master's degree from the University of Utah, 1998. [And I earned my] Ph.D. from the University of Utah, 2000. All of those are in math. [I had] faculty positions around the country, most recently at Clemson University in South Carolina, from 2015 to 2025 technically, although I was on leave since 2022. I was at the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a program director for two and a half years, 2022 to 2025, right before I came here. There, I was working on funding proposals from across the country focused on DEI work, specifically on intersectional gender equity and intersectional racial equity for students and faculty members.

What part of your role are you looking forward to most?

This role doesn't have any student-facing focus at all, normally. … My role is focused on other aspects of the University and really engaging with faculty members. Part of my role is recruitment, retention of faculty members - especially faculty members of color and with other marginalized identities, and engaging with them - figuring out what the University should be doing to properly support them. Then, of course, diverse faculty gives visibility and mentorship for students from diverse backgrounds so just everybody wins in those situations. Without playing favorites, engaging and working to support the faculty is my highest priority.

What brought you to Framingham State?

The position at the National Science Foundation was temporary. It was a three-year position, and things got a little scary in the federal space, for sure. I started really soul-searching about what it was that I wanted to do. When I went to NSF, I had been thinking about leaving the academy because it didn't seem to be aligned with my values of really truly supporting students and really truly valuing that diversity, equity, and inclusion. When I learned about the opportunity here, I did a whole bunch of research on the University. I knew Provost Porter-Utley from my work at the National Science Foundation, plus a few of the other folks here - Dean Sue Dargan, I was familiar with her. I was able to get a lot of information and realized I had been at research universities before. I'd never spent any time at a teaching-intensive institution. Really understanding the real commitment to the things that I value - student success, faculty success, and maintaining a diverse and equitable environment where people can flourish in an inclusive environment of belonging. I guess I lucked out in a lot of ways. This is the perfect job for me. I'm really loving it. I love the people that I work with. I love this institution. I've never been particularly proud of any of the institutions that I've worked at before, and now I actually wear my Framingham State pin when I have my blazer on or something like that. And I'm really proud to do that.

What are some of your hobbies, or something students wouldn't expect about you?

I love to read, and I read fiction and nonfiction. Right now, I'm reading a beautiful novel by a transgender author whose name escapes me, but it's called “Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian).” [ Editor’s Note: Hazel Jane Plante is the name of the author. ] I just finished Michelle Obama's "The Light We Carry.” [I’m] looking for inspiration in these, once again, unprecedented times. Before that, I read the “1619 Project,” the actual book, which has been on my reading list for quite some time. It felt like, “OK, now is the time.” I learned a lot. I love reading. I love listening to music. I have two cats who I love. I've been married to the same spouse - we'll have our 30th wedding anniversary in six days. Lots happened in 30 years, and we're an incredible team. They support me in ways that I never imagined being supported by a partner before. So I'm incredibly lucky. I love spending time with them. We've got some TV shows that we watch and shut our brains off, and then I love to do yoga as well. Something that students might not know about me is that I dropped out of college after my first semester, and I am a first-gen college student. I used to think I wasn't ready for college, and I realized that college wasn't ready for me. This was back in the 1980s before they had a lot of programming in place for first-generation students to succeed. I saw that firsthand. Things that we have here at Framingham State - I work with the RAMS 101 folks, and we have the gen one sections of RAMS 101 - and I'm just really impressed with the commitment that we have for supporting all sorts of different folks, like the first-generation students, like I was. It really lifts my heart.