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UMass Dartmouth to honor Nishita Roy-Pope at commencement
The award recognizes her leadership in innovation, workforce development, and technology initiatives.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 10, Mar 2026
- 13:54 EDT
- 14
Nishita Roy-Pope / LinkedIn/ Nishita Roy-Pope
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth will award an honorary degree to Indian American CEO Nishita Roy-Pope during its 2026 commencement ceremony on May 21.
She is among three individuals honored with the university’s highest distinction, which recognizes professional achievement, leadership, and service aligned with the institution’s values.
Also Read: Ro Khanna to receive Suffolk University honorary degree
Roy-Pope is the founder and chief executive officer of Courage Builder, a workforce development company focused on leadership, innovation, and emerging industries such as technology, life sciences, entrepreneurship, and the ocean “blue” economy.
The organization works with corporations, universities, K-12 schools, and small- to mid-sized organizations to build skills for future industries and has received more than $500,000 in grants from state and institutional partners.
Before launching Courage Builder, Roy-Pope spent about a decade at Dell Technologies, where she led global strategic programs across marketing, innovation, talent development, and employee engagement.
As director of the Services Leadership Development Program, she managed more than 40 global team members and helped lead a $150 million global sales-leads program.
During her tenure at Dell, Roy-Pope also launched several initiatives focused on improving gender equity in the technology sector, including Changing the Face of Tech, an entry-level talent program, Shakti Sisters, which supports early- and mid-career women, and International Women’s Day programming that later became company-wide initiatives. She also served as national ambassador for Dell’s partnership with Girls Who Code.
Roy-Pope has also worked extensively with University of Massachusetts Dartmouth students, engaging more than 500 through conferences, internships, and experiential learning opportunities. More than 40 of those students were later hired by Dell.
Apart from her professional capabilities. Roy-pope is an avid public speaker and has presented to corporate, academic, and nonprofit audiences around the world including delivering a TEDx talk titled “Channel Your Kid Courage.”
She has received several recognitions, including the Rhode Island 40 Under 40 award, the PBN Woman to Watch in Tech honor, and the ATHENA Leadership Award.
Roy-Pope also serves on several nonprofit boards, including Social Enterprise Greenhouse, Times2 STEM Academy, and the STEM advisory board of UP Education Network in Boston.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Texas A&M University.
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