We are pleased to announce that Dr. Kelly Nye-Lengerman will be the new director of the ICI at the University of Massachusetts Boston, effective November 1, 2026. Nye-Lengerman will also serve as associate professor in the UMass Boston College of Education and Human Development.
Dr. Nye-Lengerman brings a wealth of experience and expertise to these roles, with over 25 years of advancing services, employment, community living, and economic opportunity for people with disabilities and their families. She has led numerous federally and state-funded initiatives and brings a strong record of supporting staff, students, and emerging leaders while advancing work that has a meaningful impact on the disability field.
With an early career background in direct support and social work, Nye-Lengerman’s scholarship and leadership approaches are grounded in the everyday realities of people with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who support them.
Most recently, she served as a research professor at the University of Maryland Center for Transition & Career Innovation. Nye-Lengerman has held leadership positions at two UCEDDs: director of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire and director of community living and employment at the University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration.
Nye-Lengerman was previously active across the AUCD network and looks forward to reconnecting with network members and partners as she joins ICI at UMass Boston. She currently serves as an associate editor for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and is a fellow and member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. She is a member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition, and ABLE NH. She was previously an elected national board member with the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) and a state chapter president.
Nye-Lengerman’s leadership style is collaborative, strengths-based, and grounded in accountability to the communities UCEDDs serve. With her stewardship, ICI will continue working to foster environments where people with disabilities and families are included as essential partners and leaders in this work.
Interim Director Julisa Cully will resume her role as ICI’s associate director on November 1, 2026, when Nye-Lengerman begins as director. We are grateful that former ICI Director Cindy Thomas has continued with ICI since officially retiring last year, and we thank her for her continued support during this period of transition.
Learn more about Dr. Nye-Lengerman’s new roles.
