UMass–Lowell’s Brenda Evans Honored with Butts-Whiting Award

Brenda Evans, University of Massachusetts–Lowell, was honored with the 2025 Butts-Whiting Award. In her reveal speech, ACUI Past President Deepti Chadee described Evans as a leader who has played “an instrumental role in mentoring and inspiring other women, including myself.” Nominators agreed, saying Evans “has been a tireless champion for the growth and development of women. She has an unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where women can thrive. By mentoring, advocating, and creating opportunities, she not only empowers individuals but also paves the way for a more inclusive and equitable future. Her leadership in this area is a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of lifting others up.”

Evans’s leadership skills are felt, Chadee said, “not in grand, sweeping gestures, but in the moments when we needed it most. It’s about knowing when to listen, when to uplift, and when to remind you that you are capable of more than you realize. Support isn’t performative—it’s personal. It’s the unexpected text message that keeps you going, the quiet advocacy that ensures you have a seat at the table, and the thoughtful encouragement that reminds you why you belong here. For me, it was a wink from across the table during board meetings. And that is what makes their impact so profound—not just the big moments, but the countless small ones that add up to a legacy of care, mentorship, and unwavering belief in others.”

A mentor to other women, the first person Evans thanked during her acceptance speech was her mentor and UMass–Lowell’s former student center director Mary Connelly. Connelly hired Evans, and as the two worked together to open Lowell’s first-ever student center, University Crossing in 2014, Connelly steered Evans toward involvement with ACUI.

“She was the one who said to me, ‘I want you to get involved in ACUI, at least do something. If you decide you want to do something else, want to join another association, then do so, but at least do a couple things first,’” Evans recalled during her acceptance speech. “And here I am. Exactly where you all are right now. I was there 25 years ago, here in New York City, so this is very special to me.”

Evans also took a moment to acknowledge that this is a difficult time for those working in higher education.

“I know the world is difficult right now,” she said during the closing night banquet of the ACUI 2025 Annual Conference in New York City. “But we will get through this because we have each other. In the same way we navigated the pandemic five years ago, we will navigate these headwinds that are coming our way … because of this community.”

Reminding her peers that “we can do hard things,” Evans assured those “things” could be accomplished by working together as volunteers. “You can have influence over this organization,” she said. “So, if you are sitting there thinking, ‘Should I volunteer?’ Yes, you should. You deserve to be here.”

Evans’ service to ACUI started with regional involvements as a budget manager, followed by terms as a regional director. In 2014, she received the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service and was elected to the Board of Trustees, then served as president from 2020–21. Facing the beginning of the pandemic, Evans led the development of virtual programming and initiatives that helped the Association maintain financial stability. 

Having worked in the college union and student activities field for more than 25 years, with UMass–Lowell as her professional home, Evans currently serves as the dean of student affairs and wellness, responsible for health services, counseling services, student activities and leadership, the Office of Student Life and Well-being (which she helped start), campus recreation, the Risk Difference Maker program, and University Crossing. The Risk Difference Maker Program provides training, mentoring, and other resources to students who wish to address social, environmental, and economic problems. A leader among her peers, she is the only member of that team representing student affairs, working in harmony with academic colleagues to ensure the growth and success of students. 

Evans participated in student union study tours to England, Ireland, and Scotland, forging relationships with colleagues overseas; and in 2023 and 2024, she was chosen to provide keynote addresses at the Celtic Connections Conference, hosted by the Association of Student Union Administrators, Ireland.

The Butts-Whiting Award recognizes and honors outstanding leaders in ACUI who have made significant contributions to the college union and student activities movement and whose accomplishments and careers are a credit to ACUI. It spotlights the accomplishments of the Association and recalls the work of Porter F. Butts, ACUI president in 1932 and publications editor from 1936–1970, and Edgar Whiting, ACUI secretary-treasurer from 1941–1968.