1950s
Doris Eberlein
BS 1951 — Education and Social Group Work
At 92, Doris reports that she is “still keeping busy, but no more community involvement.”
Corinne Wick
BS 1956 — Education and Speech Pathology
Corinne has written a story “about Death coming to take me,” which is being published in the multicultural lesbian literary and art journal Sinister Wisdom. Of Death, Corinne writes: “She is a beautiful woman. Makes me happy.”
Vonnie Gerland Bennett
BS 1957 — Physical Education
Vonnie is enjoying retirement and watching Big Ten Conference football. Vonnie has five grandchildren who are very involved in sports, and has three daughters and their husbands living close by, which is great.
Dorothy Hassemer Rebholz
BS 1959 — Physical Education
Dorothy reports that the education she received at the University of Wisconsin majoring in physical education has shaped her whole life. She notes that this is also evident in the lives of her grandchildren who enjoy watching sports and participating in athletic activities. Dorothy explains, “With a smile I tell my grandson, Aidan Meara that his accomplishments in swimming started with me. I taught his mother, uncle and all the neighbor kids at Swan Lake near Portage to swim.” She adds that Aidan was the Wisconsin boys Class A 100 yard freestyle first-place winner his junior year at Madison West.
1960s
Sylvia Solochek Walters
BS 1960 — Art
MS 1961 — Art
MFA 1962 — Art
In late September 2020 seven of Sylvia’s woodcuts — created over a broad period from 1973 to 2019 — were accepted into the permanent collection of the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University. Earlier in the year, her recent woodcuts were exhibited in a variety of exhibitions including “Creating Impressions: Prints from the Collection of David Kabakoff,” at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley; “International Contemporary Miniprint of Kazanlak,” in Kazanlak, Bavaria; “Bird, Nest, Nature” at the Bedford Gallery Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.; and “First Impressions” at the University of California, Davis, Arts Center Tsao Gallery, among others.
Sandra Rosen Holubow
BSE 1963 — Art Education
Art everywhere has suffered during this pandemic. However, Sandra exhibited in two juried shows and is curating another. Numbers admitted at opening receptions are limited, and masks are required. Sandra was fortunate to sell works off of her website at http://www.SandraHolubow.com
James Greene
BSE 1965 — French and History
James serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Pine Mountain Settlement School, an Appalachian institution devoted to environmental education, sustainability, and preservation of Appalachian culture.
Lynda Miyamoto Asato
MS 1968 — Curriculum and Instruction
Lynda is retired and grateful to be living in Hawaii..
Phylis Farber Pomerantz
BS 1968 — Occupational Therapy
Phylis is long retired from the field of occupational therapy, which she absolutely loved. She worked at Madison General Hospital in Pediatrics and, upon moving to Cleveland, started an OT Department in a local hospital with only the four walls around her and an arsenal of great material from her studies in Madison. Phylis has done some home health for adults and worked at the Society for Crippled Children in Cleveland. A stint at a local camp for children with CP was an amazing opportunity and experience. She says thank you to the OT program at the University of Wisconsin for preparing her for a long career in a field that she loved.
Sabra Segal
MA 1968 — Printmaking, painting and collage
MFA 1969 — Printmaking, painting and collage
Sabra’s My Poem Card Business continues. She has been selling cards across the country and internationally since 1975. Sabra has added My Poems and Photographs to her My Poem Card Business.
1970s
John Knick
BS 1970 — Art
John is now retired and living in Miami, Florida.
Gary King
MA, MFA 1972 — Fine Arts
Gary is presently in a virtual show at the Manitou Art Center, which is open for personal visits by appointment only in response to the overabundance of “COVIDIOTS!” Other than that, Gary is isolating in his studio doing more art to store in a shed until he can do a show of work that after the show (if not sold) will become part of a giant ARTFIRE.
Wilson Leong
BS 1972 — Education/Art
Wilson is retired after 28 years with The Janesville Gazette — Bliss Communications, and served as director of marketing and public relations from 1974–02. He retired from the University of Wisconsin–Rock County campus and came out of retirement to serve four years as director of athletics from August 2010 to May 2013. Wilson also served for 21 years as School Board Commissioner in the School District of Milton, Wisconsin, from 1994–15. He is a WIAA certified basketball official and officiated high school/college games for 43 years from 1974–17. Wilson received the Wisconsin Conference Commissioners Association “Official of the Year” Award in November 2017. In 2002 he was a candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, 43rd Assembly District.
Jim Gardner
BS 1973 — Art
In July of 2020, Jim released his second book titled “You Have the Talent, So Where Is the Money?” This book is a blueprint for artists and creative students in any form of self-expression to earn money with their talents while balancing their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs in the process.
Richard Grawemeyer
MA 1973 — Behavioral Disabilities
Richard is now retired after working 43 years for the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities in Columbus, Ohio. He is active in Board Membership with Camp Wyandot, Inc. a non-profit organization serving youth with camping experiences and nature education. Richard is also a Board Member on the homeowners association (HOA) in Powell, Ohio.
Paul Novak
PhD 1973 — Educational Policy Studies
Paul hosted a music show on WORT FM (Back Porch Radio) when the listener sponsored station began in December 1975. Now, 45 years later, Paul continues to host a music show, albeit a different one: On the Horizon.
Joan Birringer-Haig
BS 1974 — Education, Behavioral Disabilities
Joan received her doctorate in Instructional Leadership in 2014, while being a principal of an elementary school in Long Island, NY. After retiring from the principal’s position, she has been teaching as an associate adjunct professor in the School of Education, department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership program at St. John’s University in New York City. She currently teaches Research and Data Analysis Statistics courses and is a supporting member of doctoral committees.
Susan Fish
BS 1972 — Elementary Education
MS 1974 — Curriculum and Instruction
Susan is an Instructional Facilitator providing ongoing imbedded professional learning to new and veteran teachers and family engagement partnership-building for centering family voices and eliciting/implementing funds of knowledge. She is in year 4 of a 4-year Gates Early Math Learning Grant, K-1, focused on dismantling structural racism in order to close the opportunity gap, and she serves on many building-based committees including “Leadership, CARE, SEL Lead Team, CORE Team.”
Barry Heyman
PhD 1974 — Education Policy Studies
Barry continues to work as a part-time reemployed annuitant for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. He reviews emergency plans from U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Europe and teaches classes in emergency planning to State Department officials. Barry will shortly be transitioning to a new part-time position with Diplomatic Security’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). In this position Barry will help accredit private sector organizations that want to join OSAC.
Nelson Neal
MA 1974 — Dance/Dance Applied and Technical
In August 2020, Dr. Nelson D. Neal published “Hemsley Winfield, Modern Dance Pioneer, A Biography.” Hemsley Winfield was the first African American modern dancer and a contemporary of the pioneers of modern dance. The biography describes Winfield’s life and career from 1924 as an actor, director, dancer, choreographer, and teacher until his untimely death in 1934 at the age of 26. Comments from dance professors include; “What an important piece of research, filling in key voices that have been left out of the cannon.” “This is fabulous and so necessary.” “What a great contribution to the field of dance an important legacy to preserve.”
Deborah Becker-Galewski
BS 1975 — Occupational Therapy
Deborah has previously written about drawing upon her knowledge base to work in a variety of settings, remaining as functional as possible with a disability, modifying homes for aging in place, and arrange for accommodations for travel to Alaska. Deborah’s current application is in care planning for her mother in assistive living. As her POA for Healthcare, Deborah has attempted to coordinate care with five different agencies in the midst of a pandemic. She has drawn on every morsel of her education and experiences and says OT truly teaches skills for the art of living throughout life’s stages.
Robert Buchanan
BS 1975 — Elementary Education
Robert co-founded the Ethos of Rugby Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, this year. Their mission is to promote the sport of rugby and its ethos by strengthening education, leadership development, and health and wellness. In 2020, the Foundation has awarded $5,688 in community grants, including $500 for the Patricia Buchanan Memorial Scholarship Fund in the School of Education.
Thomas Cvikota
BS 1975 — Art
In 2019, Thomas co-curated a major exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum that documents five decades of an important Midwest fine art publisher Landfall Press. “Landfall Fall Press: Five Decades of Printmaking,” will travel the U.S. through 2025. Thomas is also the author of a 628 page book on the history of Landfall Press and its founder Jack Lemon — “Landfall Press: Five Decades.” He has also curated a series of exhibitions on the theme “What is an edition, anyway?” The core exhibition was on view in Chicago at MANA Contemporary and then traveled to the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts in San Francisco. In 2019, Thomas completed and premiered a 12-hour film with artist Allen Ruppersberg on the occasion of his retrospective at the Walker Art Center and the Hammer Museum at UCLA. He is a publisher and consultant, producing contemporary editions for foundations, artists, museums and galleries. Thomas was also a Board Member and content contributor to the journal Art in Print. Presently he is working on a book that documents the career and artwork of UW Emeritus Professor, Jack Damer. Thomas is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Erica Gruen
MS 1975 — Educational Psychology
Erica is very active in a variety of arenas: teaching at NYU, with a dual appointment to the Steinhardt School of Education (teaching Entrepreneurship in the Music Industry) and the Stern College of Business (teaching Entertainment and Media Industries). She is a Senior Advisor to Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, the most active mid-market M+A investment bank in media, data and technology, and a Principal with Quantum Media, one of Forbes’ Best Management Consulting Firms of 2020. Erica spends time hiking, reading and enjoying life with her husband and family.
Darice Yench
BS 1975 — Elementary Education K-8
Retired!!
Patricia Casey
BS 1976 — Occupational Therapy
Patricia retired and moved to Tucson, Arizona, but loves to visit her alma mater each summer. Not this year due to the pandemic (sad face).
Reni Gower
BS 1976 — Art Department
Reni is a professor emerita at Virginia Commonwealth University and is a 2020 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant Recipient. Under the management of Wylie Contemporary Inc, showings of her curatorial traveling projects include the Piedmont Museum of Art, Martinsville, Virginia (The Garden); Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, Michigan, (Pulped Under Pressure / the Art of Handmade Paper); International Museum of Art and Sciences, McAllen, Texas and Pauly Friedman Gallery, Misericordia University, Dallas, PA (Compulsory Measures); Howard County Council of Art, Ellicott City, Maryland, and Daura Gallery, Lynchburg University, Lynchburg, Virginia (Geometric Aljamía: a Cultural Transliteration); and Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (FLASHPOINTS: Material / Intent / Fused). Gower was a visiting artist at the Dennos Museum Center, Durham Arts Council and Lynchburg University where she conducted workshops and presented a gallery talk. She also moderated the panel Art Happens: Amazing Women, and presented the workshop Take Your Show on the Road at the College Art Association’s annual conference.
David Harris
PhD 1976 — Curriculum and Instruction
David is a retired University of Michigan education professor. Along with Professor Anne-Lise Halvorsen of Michigan State University and retired teacher Paul Dain, they have created a website (https://www.rdv2.org/) to support instruction with secondary and undergraduate U.S. history students using “Reasoning with Democratic Values 2.0: Ethical Issues in American History.” This new edition by the three co-authors was recently published by Teachers College Press of Columbia University. The books support thoughtful reflection and informed discussion of ethical controversies from the nation’s past designed to foster cognitive development of moral judgment. The first edition of the books, comprising two student volumes and an instructor’s guide, was authored by Harris and UW-Madison School of Education Professor Alan Lockwood.
Edward Shalala
MFA 1976 — Art/Abstract Painting/MFA
After graduating from UW, Madison, Edward moved to New York City to continue with his work as an abstract painter. He has lived and worked in the same rent stabilized artist loft for 44 years. Edward has had two one-person exhibitions in the past three years, and has just scheduled another with his gallery. He has received grants from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Wynn Newhouse Foundation for Disabled Artists, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the National Academy Museum, and The Cleveland Foundation. Mr. Shalala’s work is in The Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of Art, to name a few. He is a member of American Abstract Artists which was founded in 1936, and is an active member of the groups Exhibition Committee. He has taught as a visiting artist at University of Massachusetts – Boston, and the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Patrice Federspiel
BS 1977 — Art Education
When the Honolulu Museum of Art School (where Patrice taught the past eight years) closed in March 2020 due to Covid, she moved her FUNdamentals of Watercolor classes online via Zoom. https://www.artofaloha.com/classes
Joan Killingsworth
BS 1977 — Elementary Education, Minor in Reading
Joan just retired after 42 years of teaching. She may go back part time after Covid and still loves teaching kids how to read and write. Joan lives in the DC area, but will retire in Washington State in the spring of 2021.
Ted Mast
BS 1977 — Education
Ted is enjoying more time on a boat in Florida.
Kathryn Pearson
MS 1977 — Department of Counseling and Guidance
Author and psychologist Kathryn Sanoden Pearson’s debut novel, “Trailer Baby,” releases on November 3, 2020 by BHC Press. The deceptively easy read dives deep into relationships, family dynamics and class prejudice and inequality in contemporary U.S.A. Kathryn’s other published books are “TemperTamers: An Eight Session Anger Management Pull-Out Program” and “Dynamite Emotions” by the Attainment Company, in Verona, Wisconsin.
Sally Heller
BS 1978 — Art
Sally will be having a one person show at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in the winter of 2021. She has a large chrome genie photograph being featured in an auction for the Ogden Museum in New Orleans.
Alan Schneider
BS 1978 — Physical Education
Enjoying retirement!
Ellen Sorrin (Waxman while at UW)
MS 1978 — Education – Counseling and Guidance
Ellen is retiring in November after 33 years with the New York City Ballet – 20 years as managing director of the New York Choreographic Institute while simultaneously serving 8 years as director of Education; and 16 years as director of the George Balanchine Trust. Prior to 1996, Ellen served 9 years as director of special projects for NYCB.
Margaret Buchen
BS 1979 — Art
Margaret Buchen is Adjunct Faculty in Art, and Art Curator of the Harper College Art Collection at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Her work will be featured in “UNMASKED: Portraiture in a Pandemic,” in November 2020, at ARC Gallery, Chicago.
Linda McIsaac
PhD 1979 — Administration
Linda launched a book in 2020 called 2Connect, a revolutionary way to find a soul mate or improve an existing relationship. She teaches courses on relationships to youth. “Public schools do not want to discuss anything related to relationships, much less anything to do with intimate relationships yet kids are experimenting.”
1980s
Judith Brey
BSE 1980 — Communicative Disorders
I will be retiring in June 2021 after a 37-year career as a school-based Speech/Language Pathologist.
Steven Schneider
PhD 1980 — Education and Studies in Behavioral Disabilities
After full time psychology practice and full time university online teaching, Steven is working part time as an adjunct. “It keeps me in the field,” he says. Steven is still writing and taking on organizational positions. Currently he is co-chair of the Designing Educational Systems group of the International Society for System Sciences. Steven has five grandchildren and has been married for 46 years.
Terri Grasser
1981 BS — Occupational Therapy
Terri is retiring from her current position working with children and families after 17 years at Therapies Plus, LLC. Previous to that, she was at the Achievement Center EIP working with children birth to three for 14 years. She is looking forward to spending time with her family and grandchild(ren)!
Terese Giobbia (Bentz)
BS 1981 — Art
In the last six months, Terese was promoted to associate professor of art education in the School of Art and Design at West Virginia University. Over the summer she created a STEAM quilt featuring innovators with the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math that is currently on display in the Art Library in Morgantown, WV. Terese has also co-authored the book, Fashion fundamentals (2020), which shares methods, strategies and art and design activities secondary and post-secondary school practitioners can use in their classrooms to cultivate creativity and foster design thinking. Prior to her promotion and tenure, Terese was assistant professor of art education at WVU.
Dan Wright
BS 1981 — Elementary Education
Dan Wright was reelected to a second term on the Stockton (California) City Council on March 3, 2020. Wright, the Council’s Vice Mayor, has served since January 2015. He will term out in January 2025. Stockton, a city of 315,000 residents, is the 62nd largest city in the United States.
Ronald Johnson
BS 1968 — Art Education
MS 1982 — Art Education
Having taught Elementary Art for 42 1/2 years in Mount Horeb, WI, Ronald is now retired. He practice taught in the River Valley, WI school district in the fall of 1968 and started teaching in Mount Horeb on January 27, 1969. Ronald retired on June 11, 2011. As much as he misses working with the students, Ronald is still very happy being retired. He always took pride in his ability to adapt to the changes he encountered over the years. However, Ronald never encountered what today’s staff, students, and families are currently being asked to deal with. He sincerely wishes them all well today and into the future. On, Wisconsin!
Hilary Apfelstadt
PhD 1983 — Curriculum and Instruction, Music Education
Hilary has been appointed as Interim Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association, which is the largest professional organization for choral conductors in the U.S.
Kathi Brandfass
BS 1983 — Physical Therapy
Kathy is Director of Neuro, Vestibular and Geriatric Outpatient Services at the University of Pittsburgh CRS. She initiated and developed an Outpatient program in 1996. Currently, the program is comprised of 34 Neuro/Vestibular Physical Therapists delivering care at 22 outpatient clinics in Western Pennsylvania.
Cynthia Kukla
MFA 1983 — Painting/Art Department
After retiring from Illinois State University starting on January 1, 2016, Cynthia relocated back to Cincinnati and embarked on finding a house and land to build her huge dream studio. Along the way she had a solo exhibit back in Bloomington, IL in 2017 where she premiered her first Altar of Peace Installation with corporate support from the Kroger (IL and OH) floral department. Various exhibits took place and upcoming is a group exhibition of the Watercolor Honor Society in Missouri November 2020.
Cindy Nelson
BSE 1983 — Education
Cindy is a “Land Specialist” Real Estate Agent in California’s Antelope Valley; primarily in Energy Real Estate and Community Encroachment.
Lori Fiedler Ochalek
BS 1983 — Physical Therapy
Proud to announce my son, Thomas, became a 4th generation Badger Fall 2020! On Wisconsin!
Barbara Gruener
BSE 1984 — Education Degree, English major, Spanish minor
After serving for 34 years in the schools and growing alongside all ages and stages, pre-K – 12th grade, Barbara began her encore career in 2018 traveling the nation speaking, mentoring, and connecting through author visits. The COVID-19 quarantine gave Barbara the press-pause time she needed to finish writing Mr. Quigley’s Keys, her picture book set to release mid-year 2021. Additionally, two of their children got married in 2020, so their family is growing and they are grateful.
Jeff Kaski
1982 BS — Art
1984 MA — Art
Jeff is a practicing fine artist, sculptor, painter and fine art photographer. But he is best known for his digital art. Jeff started back in 1982 with Professor Ted Pope’s summer seminar called Computer Mediated Art. His grad show featured five large computer mediated serigraph prints. Jeff is still producing digital art today. His work involves a great deal of math and geometry combined with human form photo studies. Visit Jeff’s digital art page at http://www.geoformphotography.com or visit http://www.jpkaski.com to see the 1984 graduate show and all his art through today.
Dennis McKinley
BS 1967 — Music Education
MS 1984 — Music Education
Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison opened a new fine arts facility named in honor of Dennis McKinley. The McKinley Performing Arts Center recognizes McKinley’s teaching career at Edgewood, where he began in 1967 and still works part time, volunteers, substitutes, and builds alumni relationships. The lead gift to the center was made by McKinley’s former student and colleague at Edgewood, Diane Endres Ballweg.
Seth Ahlborn
1985 MS — Physical Education/Exercise Physiology
In 2018-19 and 2019-200 Seth led administration teams at Rancho Solano Preparatory School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Henderson International in Nevada (now just at Rancho).
Peg (Margaret) Faludi
BS 1985 — Occupational Therapy
Peg retired from Occupational Therapy at Sauk Prairie Hospital in Prairie du Sac at the end of 2018. She had worked there for 33 years. Peg now teaches Tai Chi classes at that location. Once a week for the last three months, she has been helping to register patients when SPH does COVID-19 testing.
Kevin Gasser
BS 1985 — Kinesiology
Currently Kevin is the dual credit coordinator at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. He is an adviser for students interested in education and exercise science. Kevin is also an adjunct instructor in the education department and teaches a motor development class.
Louise Weinberg
MFA 1986 — Art
Louise is the co-director, director of exhibitions/collection, and curator for the Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College, N.Y. Her work is being included in these upcoming exhibitions: Tiny Pricks, Planthouse Gallery, N.Y.; Together in Isolation, The Re Institute, Millerton, N.Y.; Postcards from the Edge and Postcards for Democracy, both online.
Liza Wiemer
BSE 1986 — Elementary Education
Liza is conducting virtual workshops for sixth through twelfth graders across the U.S. on Speaking Up: Empowering students to be upstanders against injustice, hatred, and bigotry. The material is based on her recent young adult novel, “The Assignment.” School Library Journal called it “one of the most interesting, powerful books dealing with academic freedom.” The novel is being translated to Italian, Russian, Polish, and Korean.
Paul Burmeister
MFA 1987 — Art
Paul was promoted to Full Professor. He participated in the (NetVUE) Council of Independent Colleges national faculty seminar. Paul was selected for juried art exhibitions in Beloit, Oshkosh, Racine, and Cedarburg.
Theodore (Ted) Hirschfeld
BS 1987 — formerly PE and Kinesiology, now Athletic Training
Ted joined Marshfield Clinic – Orthopedics as a clinical athletic trainer in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
Laura Koenig
BS 1988 — Occupational Therapy
After working primarily in inpatient physical rehabilitation for 20 years and department management for 12 of those years, Laura switched to outpatient orthopedics. She received her Certified Hand Therapy credential in 2010 and has never been happier in her work as an OT. Laura loves the science and art behind what OTs do and the relationships with other providers and clients. She has worked in Wisconsin, Chicago, South Florida, Oregon, and Texas, and is currently back in Denver with Hand Surgery Associates. One of the wonderful things about OT is that OTs can recreate themselves again and again.
Lizabeth Montgomery
BS 1988 — Art/Graphic Design
After post-graduate education at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), Lizabeth has worked in the Twin Cities as a graphic designer for a variety of clients such as Target and General Mills. Currently, she is the art director at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
M Cecil Smith
PhD 1988 — Educational Psychology
M Cecil was appointed as dean of the School of Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in July 2020.
Helen Klebesadel
MFA 1989 — Art
Force of Nature, a virtual art exhibition of the watercolors of Helen Klebesadel, and the jewelry of Georgia Weithe sponsored by River Arts on Water Gallery, October 1 – December 26, 2020. https://www.riverartsinc.org/fon/
1990s
Lorin Bradbury
MS 1990 — Counselor Education
Lorin has a new book published by WestBow Press titled “Treasures from an Old Book: Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World.” Lorin is both a pastor and a psychologist and draws upon both disciplines in communicating scriptural truths.
Carl Coffman
BS 1980 — Elementary Education
MS 1990 — Educational Administration
After serving 40 years as an educator in Wisconsin (10 as an elementary teacher and 30 as an elementary principal), Carl has retired. He thanks the UW-Madison Faculty for providing him with an excellent foundation for these years of service.
Matthew Rose
BSE 1990 — Secondary Math Education
After 17 years of teaching high school math in three different districts, and serving for 5 years as a middle school counselor, Matt is now in his ninth year as an associate principal. He currently works at Whitefish Bay Middle School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.
Curtis Weber
BS 1978 — Education
MS 1990 — Educational Leadership (1990)
Curt retired from the Madison Metropolitan School District in 2011, after a wonderful career as a Special Education Teacher, Program Support Teacher, Principal and Administrator in the Department of Educational Services. Upon retirement, Curt moved to Sarasota, Florida, to enjoy the beaches, endless sun shine and warmth. It does not, however, replace his many fond memories of the Union Terrace and professional career with the MMSD. He says, “To be fair, however the sun is grand!” Recently Curt has returned to tutoring students one on one, in small groups as well as substitute teaching in the Sarasota County Schools. He tells everyone to “Stay well!”
Michael Hammer
PhD 1991 — Counseling Psychology
After more than 28 years, Michael is retiring at the end of 2020 from his staff psychologist position at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison. Over that time at Mendota, he has worked on three different maximum security forensic units; he also has worked part-time at three different maximum security prisons in Wisconsin during that same time frame. In addition, he has had the privilege of doing much staff (and student) training over the years, in such areas as leadership skills, systematic problem-solving, team building and team dynamics, emotional intelligence, and stress and change management. He is looking forward to, and has many plans for retirement, including traveling, but also continuing to work part-time in private practice. He fully expects to be as busy as or perhaps busier in retirement than he has been during his career up to this point!
Paul Pickhardt
BS 1991 — Education/Natural Science
Paul was promoted to professor of biology at Lakeland University. He joined Lakeland as a full-time biology faculty member in 2006 after serving as a post-doctorate research associate at Stony Brook University and Dartmouth College. Paul was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2012 and served as Division Chair of the Natural Sciences from 2012-2016. He has a reputation for being a passionate, engaged and challenging instructor in his primary discipline, he serves as a mentor within Lakeland’s summer undergraduate research program, and he spearheads the tropical ecology program which brings Lakeland students into the rainforests of Belize to conduct research.
Suzy Scudder
BSE 1991 — Elementary Education
Suzy taught in Middleton for 29 years. She was a classroom teacher for 18 years, and switched to teaching Math Intervention in 2009. She retired this fall because of COVID-19, which was earlier than she had planned to retire. She is currently tutoring online, volunteering, and trying to keep busy during this unusual time.
Benjamin Senson (Anderson)
BSE 1991 — Secondary Education: Earth and Space Sciences, Physics
As he continues as a classroom teacher, Benjamin has been doing astronomical research seeking to identify and catalog young stellar objects in an interstellar cloud. This project is part of the NITARP (NASA IPAC Teacher Archive Research Project) program and involves four teachers collaborating with a professional astronomer to complete and publish their results. The study integrates data from across a wide range of optical and infrared bands to produce spectral energy distributions that allow them to classify the young stars in terms of their evolution from nebular material to hydrogen fusing stars. Their findings will be presented at the January 2021 meeting of the American Astronomical Society virtual conference.
Jennifer Knight Wykle
BS 1991 — Elementary Education
Since graduating from UW-Madison, Jennifer has earned a master’s in education and an administration degree. This year she is a STEM Coordinator at an elementary school in Buffalo, Minnesota. She says “you never know what you might get to experience within education. Keep an open mind and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves even if they are unexpected. So much growth happens when I accept an educational challenge outside of my comfort zone.”
Anne Forbes
1992 MS — Continuing Adult and Vocational Education (CAVE)
Anne’s post-retirement time allows her to apply her educational leadership skills to serve The 3 Doors, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming lives through meditation practices grounded in wisdom and compassion. The 3 Doors Academy is the organization’s signature program which explores the power of meditation and community to support self-discovery, personal transformation, and actions that benefit others. As a graduate and volunteer, Anne coordinates the international training and support program for 3 Doors Academy graduates who serve as presenters and practice leaders in their communities. A big job and a very rewarding one!
Amy Knuth
BSE 1992 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Amy received a PhD in language and literacy. Her dissertation topic was “Teaching 4-year-olds to Think Aloud as a Means to Measuring Their Listening Comprehension: A Feasibility Study.
Daniel Wiltrout
PhD 1992 — Educational Administration
Still retired.
Rachel Durfee
MFA 1994 — Art Department, Printmaking,
UW–Madison alumna Rachel Durfee recently presented her art and poetry at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, WI, in a solo exhibit entitled, The Space Between. In addition, her poem, Of Many Wings, received an Honorable Mention from the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters’ 2020 Wisconsin People and Ideas Fiction and Poetry Contest. More information is at http://www.rachel-durfee.com.
Christina Olson-Miller
MS 1994 — Curriculum and Instruction
Christina is currently Senior Site Manager for the Americorps program, Jumpstart, at St. John’s University. She is working on her doctoral dissertation in Educational Leadership at St. John’s.
Christina Sheu (Swanson)
BSE 1994 — Elementary Education
Christina is co-founder of St. Paul School of Northern Lights in St. Paul, Minnesota, a progressive free charter school that opened in fall 2019, serving kindergarten through 6th graders. The urban school is Emilia Reggio, Place-Based and Finnish inspired grounded in the notion that all children are curious competent and learn best when in relationship with others and our surroundings.
Valerie Edwards
BSE 1995 — Elementary Education
Val recently launched a consulting business, P2G Consulting, focusing on Conflict Mediation in the workplace. Developing high-functioning grade-level or content area teams requires great communication, collaboration, civility, and conflict management! Her work focuses on supporting the development of healthy professional relationships which, of course, directly impact student learning.
Sally Meisner
BSE 1995 — Elementary Education
Sally is in the midst of her 12th year at The Spence School in New York City where she is a middle school math and health teacher; she also serves as the Grade 7 Dean. Over the summer Sally participated in the Global Online Academy to broaden her online teaching skills and deepen her understanding of how to best deliver content while remaining true to a constructivist pedagogy when teaching math. Additionally, Sally completed the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE) online module via Emory University; this curriculum is supporting her work in rewriting health curriculum to allow for greater student capacity for compassionate conversations, understanding one’s own identity, and developing a truly anti-racist mindset. As Sally works toward her MS at Bank Street College, and as she participated in program and curricular decisions over the course of her career, the prevalence of research born from UW-Madison’s School of Education confronts her at every turn and constantly reminds her of the privilege of the access she had to cutting-edge ideas, groundbreaking professors, and an overall education in education that was robust and practical and remains highly relevant to every aspect of her work.
Stephen Murley
MS 1995 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Stephen was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Green Bay Area Public School District on July 1, 2020.
Beth Lewis Samuelson
MS 1996 — Curriculum and Instruction
Beth serves as Associate Chair in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University Bloomington School of Education. She is Associate Professor of Literacy, Culture and Language Education.
Nan Bunnow
MS 1997 — Educational Administration
Specialist Certificate 2007— Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Nan received a Doctorate in Education (EdD) in the summer of 2020 from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Her dissertation is tilted The Effect of Class Size Reduction on Achievement of Low Socioeconomic Students.
Sung-Man Shin
MS 1998 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Sung-Man Shin was appointed as Provost and Dean of Student Affairs in the Office of Handong Global University in South Korea in 2019.
Diana KB Hoover
MFA 1999 — Art
Diana is the coordinator for the Graphic Design Area in the new School of Design and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Along with building a new curriculum and teaching in the Graphic Design Area, she is the faculty advisor for the student chapter of AIGA.
Gretchen Klein
BSE 1999 — K-12 Spanish Education
Gretchen has been working part time at Boulder High School in Boulder, CO as a “Native Language Tutor.” She works with ELL students who are in need of support in their core classes at Boulder High. She says it is very fulfilling work to assist students in passing their core classes! Gretchen also does private Spanish tutoring with students taking Spanish levels 1-5 in middle and high schools in the area. After working as a Spanish teacher for 15 years, this is a very fulfilling “teaching” job working one-on-one with students learning to speak, read, and write Spanish. Gretchen says she has a great mix of roles in her 2 jobs and loves living in Colorado! There are always too many fun options available for outdoor recreation, and she and her fiancé take full advantage of them!
Jaimie Sherling
BS 1999 — Elementary Education
Last month, Jaimie launched her clothing line for breast cancer survivors. YDY, Sweets battle cry is “You Do You.” Created in solidarity by a survivor.
2000s
Roscoe Wilson
MFA 2002 — Department of Art
Roscoe is currently the Chair of the Department of Humanities and Creative Arts at Miami University in Ohio. He was promoted to Full Professor of Art in 2013. He lives in Hamilton, OH with his wife and two daughters, Finley and Zoe.
Holly Anne Burns
BFA 2003 — Art
Since graduating, Holly Anne earned her Master’s in Design Management from Pratt Institute in NYC and worked in the Big Apple for 8 years leading design teams. She has been back in Madison for several years now and working for product development consultancy, bb7. Holly Anne speaks nationwide at various events including the Annual Society of Women Engineers Conference last year, and was slated to speak at Disrupt Madison this year (which has been rescheduled for next year). This month she will be a guest lecturer for the UW-Madison BioMedical Engineering freshman class, speaking on the topic of design thinking (pre-recorded to allow for closed captioning). Holly Anne is so proud to be a Badger and be involved with the UW once again.
Bobbi Gillitzer
BSE 2003 — Secondary Education: History and Broadfield Social Studies
Bobbi went on to earn a Master’s in Education: Professional Development from UW-La Crosse and is in her 18th year of teaching at Central High School in La Crosse, WI. She recently completed the “Teaching the Korean War” Initiative through UW-Madison, which provided great resources that she can use in her classroom. Bobbi currently teaches U.S. History, Psychology, and Sociology.
Wendee Gardner
BS 2004 — Art
Wendee started an organization called Good Medicine. They provide quality public health services to tribal nations and their allies working to promote tribal health and healthcare. For more info: tribalgoodmedicine.org, Dr. Wendee Gardner, DPT, MPH.
Sara Johnston
MS 2004 — Rehabilitation Counseling
Sara P. Johnston, Ph.D., CRC, associate professor in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, was selected to serve as the first Olson Fellow for Global-Service Learning at Drake University. Dr. Johnston was also selected to serve a two-year term as an At-Large Director for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification Board of Directors.
Kurt Schneider
PhD 2004 — Education Leadership and Policy Analysis
The School Superintendents Association’s journal, School Administrator, published an article Kurt wrote titled, “Board Leadership on Inclusive Practices, Equity and Access for ALL”. As a superintendent overseeing 18 school districts in the north shore suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, this article nationally highlights transformational system-wide change on a regional level.
Sara Bossingham O’Brien
BS 2001 — School of Human Ecology
MS 2005 — HDFS
Since graduating from UW–Madison, Sara has spent two decades working in early childhood classrooms, in various roles to help the earliest learners have the best start possible. At the same time, she has advocated for early childhood teachers who deserve recognition for their important role in the health and well-being of those youngest students. Most recently, Sara has become an Early Childhood Specialist who consults with early childhood programs and family child care providers to increase the level of quality in their learning environments in order to best support developmentally appropriate care for children.
Joe Donovan
MS 2006 — Educational Policy Studies
The Donovan Group, a school communication firm that focuses exclusively on public education and serving the needs of school and district leaders nationwide, has partnered with the California School Boards Association to offer crisis communication services to districts in that state. In addition to crisis communication, the firm offers communication planning, video production, content creation, graphic design, surveys and referendum planning services. The Donovan Group has offices in California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Zachary Kaiser
BS 2006 — Art
In July 2020, Zach was awarded tenure at Michigan State University and is now Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Experience Architecture. His research examines the relationship between technological interfaces and political subjectivity, with a current focus on metrics and analytics in higher education.
Matthew Page
MS 2006 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Matt serves as the assistant dean of student affairs within The Ohio State University’s Graduate School. He spent eight years as a student affairs leader at two large public flagship institutions before making the transition to a career within academic affairs. His role in OSU’s Graduate School allows him to be heavily involved in all co-curricular aspects of graduate education, and he is able to use the knowledge and skills developed at UW in his daily work.
Sara Schneckloth
MFA 2006 — Art
Sara opened a solo exhibition of geologically-inspired drawings at the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina, which runs from October 10, 2020 to January 10, 2021. The works in this exhibition combine the visual languages of biology and geology into mixed-media drawings. Trekking on ground and hovering by air, Lands Divided unites series that map landforms and their divisions in and around rural New Mexico, while Island Nations evokes the floating Laputa of Gulliver’s Travels. Integrating raw earth pigment with other art materials, the drawings explore physical, symbolic, and philosophical landscapes across geologic and human time. Schneckloth has shown in over eighty exhibitions throughout the United States, South Africa, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom. She is an associate professor in the School of Visual Art and Design at the University of South Carolina and co-curates the Seed Cultures Archive, a digital project in conversation with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. She currently lives and works in Columbia, S.C., and Regina, N.M.
Marcus Weaver-Hightower
PhD 2006 — Curriculum and Instruction
Marcus has moved positions, becoming Professor and program leader of Foundations of Education at Virginia Tech.
Phillis George
MS 2007 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Dr. Phillis L. George was recently tenured and promoted to the rank of associate professor of higher education at the University of Mississippi. Additionally, she was appointed to the inaugural post of assistant chair of the Department of Higher Education. Beyond her departmental role, Dr. George serves in an extended and elected capacity as vice chair of the University’s Faculty Senate. As an alumna, Dr. George earned a BA (sociology and communicative disorders ’03) and PhD (educational leadership and policy analysis ’08) from UW-Madison. She also earned a master’s in sociology ’06 from the University of Oxford (UK) and is a former Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Chancellor’s Scholar (now Mercile J. Lee Scholar), Meyerhoff Scholar, and UCEA Barbara L. Jackson Scholar.
Moira Lafayette
MS 2007 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
As the Dean of Health Sciences and Public Safety at Blackhawk Technical College, Moira’s focus has been on ensuring the successful completion of the students during one of the most disruptive periods of higher education. She commends the students and faculty for their persistence and hopes everyone continues to adapt and evolve in this new landscape.
Sarah Helmer
BSE 2009 — Elementary Education
Sarah is the co-author of a new book with Peter Johnston and some fellow educators published by Stenhouse called “Engaging Literate Minds: Developing Children’s Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Lives, K–3.” Building a just, caring, literate society has never been more important than it is today. By embracing the ideas and teaching strategies in Engaging Literate Minds, children can become socially, emotionally, and intellectually healthy. Not only do these classroom practices develop the skills to achieve district benchmarks and beyond, they help develop children’s humanity.
2010s
Hans Klar
PhD 2010 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Hans published a book titled, “Developing Rural School Leaders: Building Capacity through Transformative Leadership Coaching” with colleague Kristin Huggins from Washington State University. The book is the result of a multi-year partnership with a consortium of rural school districts in South Carolina. In the book, Klar and Huggins describe the complexities of rural school leadership and how school leaders can be supported in leading effective and collaborative change in their schools.
Stephanie Roth
BSE 2010 — Elementary Education
After 9 years in the Kimberly Area School District, Stephanie received a position as a first grade teacher in her hometown of De Pere.
Linda Vakunta
MA 2011 — Rehabilitation Psychology
For the past six months, Dr. Linda Vakunta has been quite busy in her role as Deputy Mayor for the city of Madison. Her work has largely focused on the city’s response to COVID-19 particularly in the areas of housing and human services. The city of Madison, like many other cities, is working to address issues of homelessness and eviction prevention as well as increasing housing stock. In addition, childcare, food security, youth programming and violence prevention have risen on the list of issues to address. Outside of her deputy mayor role, Dr. Vakunta, along with in-country partners, recently developed an initiative to support mental health/wellness needs in Sierra Leone and Cameroon, West Africa. Read more here: https://www.amanidurgaconsulting.com/
Jill Underly
PhD 2012 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Jill and another 2012 ELPA doctoral program graduate, Sheila Briggs, are running for the statewide office of superintendent of public instruction. The primary is in February and the general non-partisan election is in April.
Tyler Banh
BSE 2014 — Secondary Education – Mathematics
Tyler transitioned from K-12 education to digital learning. He now works at Bain & Company, a global management consulting company.
Blake Bishop
MS 2014 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Blake serves as a Senior Academic Success Coach with the UW Flexible Option, and Student Success Coach with UW Extended Campus Collaborative degrees. Recently, he was promoted to Success Coaching Team Lead. He’s excited to take on additional leadership responsibilities, while maintaining his duties as a coach to the many students he serves.
Rachel Elliott
2014 BSE — Elementary Education
After graduating from UW-Madison, Rachel has taught Kindergarten for five years while also earning a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Rachel is now the technology integrator for her School District continuing to work towards earning her principal license as well.
Lindsey Kaiser
MS 2014 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Lindsey Kaiser is a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Washington in the College of Education studying Educational Policy, Organizations and Leadership. Kaiser aims to galvanize communities to dismantle barriers that have led to systemic racism and oppression in the world of education and collectively create equitable school systems by centering BIPOC communities.
Kelsey Quinnell
BS 2014 — Athletic Training
Kelsey is currently working as an Assistant Athletic Trainer for Marshfield Clinic at UW-Stevens Point.
Mac Weninger
BS 2014 — Exercise and Movement Science
Mac Weninger, M.D., is a third year resident in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kansas Health System and will be seeking employment in Madison, Wisconsin upon completion of training in June, 2022.
Sean Frazier
MS 2015 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Sean Frazier, the associate vice president and director of athletics at Northern Illinois University, will co-chair the LEAD1 Association Working Group to Examine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Issues. This working group is charged with creating actionable recommendations on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in college sports. For more information visit https://lead1association.com/lead1-diversityinclusionequity-working-group/
Kathleen Giudice
BS 2015 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Kathleen has been working as an occupational therapist (OT) for the past several years at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago on the stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury units. Since the start of the pandemic, she was one of 3 OTs in the hospital to work on the rehabilitation unit for patients recovering from COVID-19.
Rebecca Greenspan
BS 2015 — Cross-Categorical Special Education
Becca is the founder of Family Inclusion, a consulting business that aims to ensure the inclusion of children with special needs in all areas of family life. Parents facing the difficult task of having to create a plan for both children with disabilities and typically developing children are often left to a “divide and conquer” strategy. While the popularity of inclusion in schools and after school programs has risen, inclusion in the family unit has been left largely unattended to. Becca explains that Family Inclusion Consulting seeks to understand the unique preferences of your family and design a concrete program to allow these preferences to work in tandem with your child’s special needs services. https://www.familyinclusion.com/
Aaron Perzigian
MS 2010 — Rehab Psych and Special Education
PhD 2015 — Rehab Psych and Special Education
Aaron is an associate professor of special education at Western Washington University and is the director of the Woodring Inclusive Education Teacher Scholars, a grant-funded teacher residency program in the South Seattle area. Much of his success is attributed to the education and mentorship received at UW-Madison and by faculty in RPSE. Once a Badger, always a Badger.
Jacob Riederer
BSE 2015 — ECE/ESL – Elementary Education
Jacob is working as a Kindergarten 2 teacher at the American School of Madrid in Spain. A few highlights from his year have been developing and aligning curriculum, working with a diverse, multilingual study body and getting the opportunity to work and collaborate with educators from around the U.S and world.
Sara Eklund
BS 2016 — Rehabilitation Psychology
After graduating from UW, Sara pursued a master’s degree in nursing and is now a registered nurse. She recently just started a doctorate program on the path to become a nurse practitioner as well! Nothing like starting a nursing career during a global pandemic.
Russell Cannon
PhD 2017 — Educational Policy Studies
Since 2018 Russ has served as a Senior Program Officer on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary strategy. He currently manages a team focused on research, measurement, and evaluation in support of the strategy’s goal – eliminating race/ethnicity and income as predictors of success in higher education. Most recently, this has included support for national panel surveys to better understand the ongoing impacts of Covid19 on postsecondary students and teaching practices as well as formative capability building evaluation for a cohort of national intermediary organizations that partner with networks of institutions. Prior to joining the foundation, Russ helped built and lead the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at the University of Washington Bothell (when it was among the fasting growing four-year institutions in the country), and served as the president of the Pacific Northwest Association for Institutional Research and Planning.
Alexandra Galván
BS 2017 — Educational Policy Studies
Alexandra is currently working at Chicago HOPES for Kids, an organization that works with children and families living in Chicago’s homeless shelters, as the Outreach and Family Engagement Administrator. She is pursuing a Masters of Social Work at the University of Chicago.
Rachel Hughitt
BS 2017 — Rehabilitation Psychology
After graduating with a masters in counseling psychology from the University of Kentucky this past May, Rachel has begun her PhD in the same field at the University of Denver. “It’s great being back in a city that is filled with Wisconsin alumni!”
Brett Nachman
MS 2017 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Brett’s ongoing research on autism and disabilities in postsecondary education has been published in several journals in 2019, including in “College Student Affairs Journal” (on autistic/LGBTQ+ college students’ experiences), “The Review of Higher Education” (a systematic literature review on autism in higher education) and “Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability” (a practice piece regarding improving quantitative research and assessment on college students with disabilities).
Samantha Albert
BS 2018 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Samantha completed a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from UW-Stout and has recently gotten a job with a non-profit in Minneapolis providing case management services for people with disabilities.
Kenzie Bryant
2018 BFA — Fine Arts
During this crazy time of the global pandemic, Kenzie has moved east to Boston, MA, and started an amazing job with the Boston Beer Company as the Associate Brand Manager of Angry Orchard. With her team, they are rebuilding the national brand with fantastic unique campaigns, fostering news and driving innovation! During the five short months Kenzie has been with the company, she’s also had the opportunity to be a part of the Diversity and Inclusion committee, creating change in the company as well as leading change in the beer industry.
Samantha Moritz
MS 2018 — Secondary Education
Samantha recently began a new job as a 7th grade social studies teacher with the Cherry Creek School District.
Molly Romaniak
BS 2018 — Rehabilitative Psychology
Molly is currently in the second year of a doctor of physical therapy degree at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. She just got back to campus from going on her first 6-week clinical in an outpatient orthopedic clinic in Oklahoma. Molly was grateful to be able to work with and learn from patients of her own and to learn more about how healthcare is delivered during this pandemic. She is now in class on zoom until the end of this semester/winter break. After quarantining for two weeks, she will be able to go to campus for some of her labs. Molly is excited for both her pediatrics and neuromuscular therapy courses, where she will not only learn more about treating patients in these specialties, but will also refine her own skills of operating a wheelchair so that she can better teach patients these skills in the future. She has been so grateful for the experience gained through her internships and courses in the Rehabilitative Psychology program at UW. Through the Rehabilitative Psychology program she was able to work with many populations of people that many of her classmates in her current PT school have not yet. This has not only helped Molly to be a leader in class, but it has also allowed her to have a better grasp on her current studies and more direction in what specialty she would like to pursue for her future career.
Alexis Steinbach
MS 2018 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Alexis is currently working as the Director of Pre-Business, Certificate, and Transfer Advising at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.
Clara Temlitz
BSE 2018 — Elementary Education
Clara is working at Wingra School in Madison as a 2nd-3rd grade teacher.
Catherine Dornfeld Tissenbaum
MS 2016 — Educational Psychology
PhD 2018 — Educational Psychology
Catherine is currently an assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is still researching how families support science learning while interacting with museum exhibits, as she did in her PhD, but she has pivoted to the ways families use online museum experiences to support at-home science learning. Catherine is also applying her studies of scaffolding in the classroom to her teaching, in courses about theories and practices for elementary education and curriculum development for the 21st century.
Faith Fuller
BS 2019 — Theatre and Drama
Faith is currently attending New York University and getting her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance: Musical Theatre.
Jenny Gapinski
BSE 2019 — Elementary/middle education, content focus: science
Jenny is now a 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Toki middle school!
Elizabeth Hayes
BSE 2019 — Elementary Education – Content-Focused Minor Certificate 2019 Educational Policy Studies Certificate
After completing a BS in Elementary Ed from UW-Madison, Elizabeth wasn’t sure classroom teaching was right for her. She felt defeated by a flawed K-12 system. However, the incredible faculty and professors in C&I and the School of Education empowered Elizabeth to educate in spite of that system. She currently works as the Assistant Center Director of a math learning center where she supports students and families as they navigate the challenges, pains, and successes of virtual and hybrid learning.
Brad Horn
MS 2019 — Curriculum and Instruction, Secondary English
Brad teaches social studies in an Expeditionary Learning public magnet school in Bend, Oregon.
Maren Jacobson
BS 2019 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
Following graduation, Maren took a year off, remained in the Madison area, and worked full-time doing applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. Then at the beginning of August, she moved cross-country to NYC! Maren is in her first semester at Teachers College, Columbia University and studying Teaching as Applied Behavior Analysis.
Stanley Kang
MS 2019 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Stanley is the new program director for the Posse Foundation at the Houston site. The Posse model works for both students and college campuses and is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development. As the United States becomes an increasingly multicultural society, Posse believes that the leaders of the 21st century should reflect the country’s rich demographic mix. The key to a promising future for our nation rests on the ability of strong leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop consensus solutions to complex social problems. Posse’s primary aim is to train these leaders of tomorrow.
Olivia Rotelle
BS 2019 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Olivia is in the process of getting her doctorate of occupational therapy at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston. It has been quite the transition from lots of in person labs, lectures, clinicals, and fieldwork to almost exclusively online learning, but it has been a great experience so far. She says “I will be well prepared to enter the ever-changing health care world in just a couple of years!”
Crystal Stonewall
BS 2019 — Elementary Education
Crystal was admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in the fall 2019 term immediately after earning her degree from the School of Education. She is a second-year law student and co-executive director of the Black Law Students Association. In July 2020, she was selected to serve a two year term on the honorable Wisconsin Law Review.
2020s
Carmen Bartley
PhD 2020 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Carmen started a job as a qualitative researcher and evaluator in the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) housed in the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER).
Tanner Kattre
BA 2020 — Health Promotion Health Equity, Global Health
Tanner is currently enrolled in the Accelerated Nursing Program here at UW!
Dana Maltby
MS 2020 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis – Higher Education
Dana began her current position on UW’s campus as the Data Science Student and Program Coordinator in June.
Max Puchalsky
MFA 2020 — Art
Since earning an MFA, Max has taken an operations position at Arts + Literature Laboratory—a community-based, contemporary arts center in downtown Madison—and is teaching online classes at the Bayview International Center for Education and the Arts.