Campus Advocacy Committee

The Campus Advocacy Committee shall consist of the Vice President, who will serve as its Chair, and at least four members appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.

Within the Campus Advocacy Committee is the Pennington program, which is structured around a commitment to organize no less than one community volunteer outreach event for each of the fall and spring semesters.

This program is in recognition and loving memory of a 1993-94 USGA senator, Cannella Pennington. During her service to the student government, she actively pursued the development of a campus-wide volunteer program. In order to honor her ideas, goals and memory this program will strive to provide students with the opportunity to give to and receive from the greater UMB neighborhood.

The Campus Advocacy Committee shall be responsible for leading student advocacy within UMB and organizing student advocacy initiatives on the UMB campus that support the USGA Senate’s initiatives with the UMB administration.

Committee Leader

Headshot of the president of USGA Jillian Baker

Jill Baker
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
umb.usga.president@umaryland.edu
Program in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Graduate School

Jillian Baker is a 5th-year PhD student at the Graduate School. She earned a BS in Forensic Science from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA before earning her MS in Biology from Towson University in Towson, MD. When she is not busy studying, Jill enjoys playing field hockey for VOLO, hanging with her MMI cohort, cross-stitching and listening to audiobooks.

Committee Members

Maethe Butterfield
Pronouns: 
Doctor of Pharmacy program
School of Pharmacy
mbutterfield@umaryland.edu

Rebecca Cherian

Rebecca Cherian
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
DMRT Masters in Medical and Research Technology- Lab Management
School of Medicine
rebeccacherian@umaryland.edu 

Rebecca Cherian is a 2nd year Graduate student earning her Masters in Medical and Research Technology at the Department of Medical and Research Technology. She earned a BS in Wildlife Science and Public Health from the University of Georgia and Uniformed Services University of Health Science. Currently, Rebecca also attends John’s Hopkins University as an ROTC Cadet. When she is not studying, she enjoys Brazilian Jujitsu, Rugby, hiking, and spending time with friends.

Niya Leach
Pronouns:
Graduate School
nleach@umaryland.edu

Sophia Lenzmeier

Sophia Lenzmeier
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Genetic Counseling
Graduate School
sophia.lenzmeier@som.umaryland.edu

Sophie Lenzmeier is a 2nd-year student in the genetic counseling program housed in the School of Medicine. Sophie earned a BS in Genetics & Genomics and French language from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, Sophie also works as an administration assistant for the pediatric genetics deparment at the University of Maryland Medical Center. As senator for the genetic counseling program, Sophie hopes to advocate for students to help create a more inclusive environment at UMB. When Sophie is not busy studying, Sophie enjoys walking around the inner harbor and taking care of her plants.

Kristin Peacock
Pronouns: 
School of Nursing
kpeacock@umaryland.edu

David Regenold
Pronouns: He/Him/His
MD Program
School of Medicine
david.regenold@som.umaryland.edu 

Rachel Ritter
Pronouns:
Undergraduate School of Nursing
rmritter@umaryland.edu

Audrey Rudy

Audrey Rudy
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
audrey.rudy@som.umaryland.edu

Audrey Rudy is a 2nd-year DPT student at the School of Medicine. She earned a BS in Psychology from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Currently, she also participates in competitive rowing at Baltimore Community Rowing. When Audrey is not busy studying, she enjoys spending time outside and participating in various sports.

Lakota Watson

Lakota Watson
Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them
PhD Program in Neuroscience
Graduate School
lwatson@som.umaryland.edu 

Lakota Watson (pronouns: she/her/they/them) is a 4th-year Neuroscience Ph.D. student at the School of Graduate Studies. Lakota earned their B.A. in Neuroscience and Psychology before moving to Baltimore to become a lab technician in the lab of Dr. Joe Cheer prior to their admission to the graduate school. As a disabled academic, Lakota knows firsthand the importance of uplifting the voices of persons who could potentially benefit from or be harmed by scientific research, and this guides their work in and out of the lab. Currently, Lakota works in the lab of Dr. Luana Colloca as a Ph.D. candidate studying the neurobiological effects of early life adversity on social behavior and pain perception. Outside of their lab, Lakota also serves as secretary of the Graduate Student Association and head of the Graduate Research Conference planning committee. They have also served on the UM-MIND IDEAS committee since 2021, a committee which aims to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism within UM-MIND and the field of neuroscience as a whole. Additionally, Lakota recently completed a one-year appointment as a TL1 Pre-Doctoral Scholar in Clinical and Translational Research. Within their time in the fellowship, they connected with Baltimore residents to discuss concerns within the local community and gain valuable feedback on their research. As senator for the School of Graduate Studies, Lakota hopes to continue being a vocal advocate for students and accessibility on this campus to address historical exclusion of marginalized and disabled individuals from academic spaces. They currently serve on the USGA Advocacy committee. In their free time, Lakota enjoys crocheting, caring for their many house plants, and hanging out with their (very large) orange cat.