School of Pharmacy’s Lisa Finn Named UMB’s December Employee of the Month

The assistant director of assessment and accommodations is praised for her many accomplishments, including the establishment of the school’s Educational Support and Disability Services testing center.

By Jen Badie, as published in the Elm
January 30, 2026

At the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), Lisa Finn, MPH, is known as a utility player: Not only does she undertake many duties, but if the School needs a job done quickly and effectively, she also is often the person leadership turns to for help.

The high-profile projects Finn, assistant director of assessment and accommodations, Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs, has undertaken over the past few years include the standing up of the Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program and the establishment of UMSOP’s Educational Support and Disability Services (ESDS) testing center.

During a videoconference attended by more than 30 colleagues Dec. 8, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell surprised Finn with the news that she is the University’s December Employee of the Month.

“You are thought of very highly in the School of Pharmacy,” Jarrell told her. “All of your hard work has been noticed.”

UMSOP Dean Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, told Finn, “It’s really a wonderful and well-fitting award for you. You are a great member of the School of Pharmacy family. You very willingly take on whatever you’re asked to do and lead with it. So thank you for your support and dedication to our school.”

Finn works in the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs, supporting faculty development, handling the awards and nominations process as well as purchasing, working with course evaluations and assessments, and implementing accommodations for students with disabilities.

In that role, Finn helped to establish an ESDS testing center for UMSOP and physician assistant students.

“There are many more students now requesting accommodations, and the main UMB testing center was getting overwhelmed,” Finn said. “We saw this opportunity to utilize a space in the Pharmacy Learning Center for our students with accommodations. It was a matter of retrofitting that space for the need, working closely with ESDS to make sure that it was up to their specifications, and then working with them to develop a process for scheduling that space.”

She added that the space, which opened in October, has been highly successful with more than 300 separate testing appointments.

Agnes Ann Feemster, PharmD, BCPS, associate dean of faculty and academic affairs and Finn’s supervisor, praised Finn for collaborating with Shannon Tucker, PhD, MS, CPHIMS, assistant dean of instructional design and technology, to establish the center, calling it “extraordinarily impactful.”

“This new location — the first of its kind — provides both pharmacy and physician assistant students with a more convenient and accessible testing environment,” she said in nominating Finn for the award. “It significantly expands testing availability and alleviates the stress of traveling across campus. Facilitating the opening of this center was a remarkable achievement that reflects Lisa’s commitment to student well-being and academic success.”

Finn regularly meets with students one-on-one to determine the best approach to facilitate their success and to ensure that UMSOP meets its legal obligations.

“She consistently goes above and beyond to support students with disabilities, approaching each situation with empathy, fairness, and professionalism,” Feemster said. “Her calm and approachable demeanor makes students feel heard and valued, and her practical problem-solving ensures accommodations are both reasonable and effective.”

For Finn, supporting students with disabilities is a personal mission. Her daughter has highly complex medical needs.

“It’s a big part of who I am now and a big motivation for me, especially as far as accessibility and accommodations are concerned,” she said. “It’s always been an interest of mine, but now it’s even more so given my life circumstances.”

She said her favorite part of her job has been the support she has received from colleagues.

“I know that every day when I come to work, I’m going to be surrounded by people who are bringing their best every day, and that really encourages me to do the same,” she said. “It’s really this level of excellence at the School of Pharmacy. We’re all giving our all, and it’s for the students, first and foremost.”

Finn has worked for UMSOP for 18 years in several roles, including helping to manage the PharmD program at the Shady Grove campus when the popular MS in Medical Cannabis program was established in 2019. The program was approved in June, and it was to launch in three months. Finn developed processes and procedures for admissions and registration such as how faculty would review applications and developing a waitlist. The school received 700 applications for 150 spots.

“I had never done admissions, so it was a huge learning curve for me, and we just got the ball rolling with starting to accept applications,” Finn said. “We had hundreds and hundreds of applications. I had to learn all about registration, the different ins and outs of starting a program. There’s a lot of trial and error with certain things, but it was hugely successful. I leaned a lot on my colleagues who had more knowledge than me about certain things. One of the best parts of my job is knowing my network, knowing who I can reach out to when I have a question.”

Andrew Coop, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and associate dean for students, and Leah Sera, PharmD, MA, BCPS, the inaugural director of the medical cannabis program who is now associate dean for recruitment, admissions, and integration, praised Finn during the videoconference.

“You were a trooper,” Coop said. “It was due to you that the cannabis program was a success.”

Sera added, “If you ever want someone to take on a seemingly impossible task and be absolutely successful with it, Lisa is your woman.”

Finn also recently developed a new quarterly faculty newsletter, which highlights important updates related to academic affairs.

“Creating this content requires Lisa to thoroughly research topics and develop a deep understanding of teaching pedagogy — demonstrating a commitment that goes beyond the expectations for her role,” Feemster said.

Finn, who will receive a certificate and $250 in her next paycheck for the Employee of the Month honor, called winning the award humbling.

“I feel so honored,” she said. “It just makes me want to work even harder and to keep giving 100 percent every day.”

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