University Staff 2020 Spring Elections Biographies

University Staff
           2020 Spring Elections Biographies

Roy Badger - I love representing my fellow Univ. Staff within the Senate. I have
been involved with many UWM Governance Committees & use my experience to
the best of my ability. I am dedicated to representing our Univ. Staff in many
areas of governance here at UWM. I started with volunteering for UWM'S
ceremonies back in the 1990's, when only Academic Staff were allowed. I talked
campus admin. into allowing me to join & volunteered for 15 years! I have created
the 1st employee newsletter to be distributed to the 80 UITS employees. Many
hearing campus-wide news events for the 1st time! I've enjoyed my past 3 year
term on the PEC, & would like to continue helping them when I can. For the past
year I was the PEC rep on the Chancellor's Advisory Committee for LGBTQ+
Advocacy Issues. Outside of UWM I have enjoyed helping my community. I
have volunteered with Pridefest & with the Galano Club, which serves the LGBTQ
recovery community.
Roberta Brummels - I have never been on a committee since I came to UWM.
When I was with the Department of Corrections, I was a note taker for most of the
disciplinary hearings. These were for represented staff and non-represented staff.
I find the grievance process very interesting. I have been an at-risk employee
twice in my 18 years with the State. I have learned what rights I have and do not
have. I feel that I can make a difference and am willing to help others in need.
Timothy Cochrane - I have been with the University for nearly 3 years, after
graduating from UW-Madison with a MA in Scandinavian Studies and briefly
working in the private sector. I believe that open communication and coordination
are the best tools we have to make sure our voices are heard by the University. Our
ability to perform our duties grows stronger when there is a clear, open dialogue
possible across the various divisions and groups; these kinds of open
communication are part of what make public universities strong.
Mallory Cramer - I am a first-generation and low-income college student and am
completing my graduate degree at UWM in May. I look forward to the opportunity
to become more involved on campus as a staff member, while still advocating for
our underrepresented student populations. I appreciate the opportunity to further

create an inclusive and enjoyable campus climate at UWM by developing
innovative ideas with colleagues, and by implementing new, impactful initiatives
across UWM's campus. I am honored to work in higher education, specifically at
UWM, and have the ability to advocate for our student populations who need it the
most, while leading by example. My experience in Trio/Pre-College Programs has
allowed me to connect with students who may come from underrepresented
backgrounds. Validating my students and their identities is something I hope to
continue to accomplish on our campus. I look forward to the opportunity to lead in
an administrative role at UWM for many years to come.
Kathryn Czerniakowski - I am stepping up to the plate. I am a University Staff
Senator. I would like to also serve on a committee with the greatest need for
members.
Amanda Eischen - I have been a member of the University Staff for nearly 4 years
at UW-Miwlaukee. I also held an academic staff position for 6 years at UW-
Milwaukee. I work as an HR Assistant Advanced for a department that has nearly
50 University Staff members. I am currently involved on campus with the Veterans
Advisory Council and have represented University Staff on the TTC and ISS
Shared Services Projects. I have a master's degree in Human Resources from UW-
Milwaukee.
Steve Kennedy - My involvement with UWM spans more than 20 years, first as a
graduate student in Business, where I earned my MBA, and then as an employee. I
am a founding member of the University Staff Council (USC) which has now
become the University Staff Senate. In the Council, I served as treasurer and then
later as Vice Chair. I have a high degree of interest in ensuring that the Senate
continues to advocate for University Staff at all times and on all topics germane to
University Staff employees. To that end, I’ve worked on many University Staff
committees, including Bylaws (Codification), Elections and Awards Committees;
UPS Implementation where we created campus policy that serves to treat
University Staff equitably, as well as campus committees such as Physical
Environment, Parking and Transportation Naming Rights, Strategic Planning,
CCOET, HR Effectiveness Assessment and Enterprise Risk Management
committees. I want to continue to use my education and experience in a manner
that provides University Staff a strong voice in shared governance.
Kate Negri - My name is Kate Negri, and I have worked at UWM for over 10
years as a student, LTE, and university staff member. I have worked in two

different offices on campus: the UWM Graduate School and UWM Department of
Art History. I am very active in the UWM campus community, and I am interested
in serving on a University Staff Standing committee because I want to help
advocate for my fellow university staff colleagues. University staff employees are
often forgotten. I want to help change that. I also love dogs and musicals.
Patrick Reilly - I’ve worked for UWM approximately 12 years and served on the
University Staff Council/University Staff Senate for approximately three years. As
a member of the Staff Council, I advocated realigning staff representation to our
respective units, rather than job title, forming a direct link to our respective
workplaces. I advocated for university review of department level decisions to
deny employees’ use of accumulated leave in pay status upon retirement. I
supported the move to expand the membership of the Staff Senate bringing it
closer to parity with the other governance bodies on campus. If reelected, I will
continue to speak out on behalf of the interests of university staff.
Andrew Tarr - Hello! I am new to UWM and the Milwaukee area, which
contributes to a perspective that is not shaped by a "because we have always done
it this way" mindset. I value transparency, common sense, the greater good,
community, clear communication, being effective while efficient, compassion, and
data-informed decision making. I am passionate about higher education and
believe we all contribute equally to UWM's successes. Those values and
convictions ensure that I hear and consider all voices and perspectives as well as
fight for others to have a voice. My professional experience with governance, data
and policy analyses, supporting under-represented populations, in addition to my
personal and academic background should make me a great candidate to represent
University Staff. Thank you for reading this and showing your interest in who
represents you in UWM governance matters. I chose to pursue a career in higher
education because of its importance to individuals as well as to all of society. After
completing my graduate studies, I chose to work in enrollment management to help
address the current/future enrollment issues. I hope to contribute to UWM via
committee so that I may learn more about UWM as well as contribute to UWM's
successes. My professional and academic background concerning Higher Ed. is
with data and policy (both governance and analysis) as well as internationalization
and globalization of campuses. I have worked on various committees at both the
institutional and state system-wide levels. My proudest achievement is that I led
committees in Augusta University's (AU) tobacco-free campus policy, which led to
my involvement in the University System of Georgia becoming the largest

university system in the U.S. becoming tobacco-free in 2014. My work in
governance and policy has been in consolidating (merging) two public institutions
in Georgia, institution accreditation reviews (AU), institution strategic planning
with AU and Old Dominion University (ODU), tuition and fees committees (AU),
Enrollment Management strategic planning (ODU), and Assessment & Evaluation
committee (UWM-Division of Enrollment Management). My greatest interest is in
Enrollment Management--recruitment, retention, and graduation.
Kate Valerius - Hello. My name is Kate Valerius. I am a proud UWM alumna
and USPA (3) in Physics (since April of 2006) and previous to that, worked as an
LTE in CIE/OPP. I am approaching almost one full year (of a 3-year appointment)
on the UWM University Staff Senate, as well as almost completing a 1-year
appointment on the Climate and Information Committee, serving as the Secretary.
My current staff position involves working with various staff (types / levels / years
of service), plus working with faculty and campus administration. Understanding
how these groups operate and how they work together is key to ensuring the
overall success of UWM. There are many nuances regarding important issues
concerning communication, management (styles), and responsibilites, for example,
that affect the day-to-day operations of university staff. I have a unique skill set
that would be quite beneficial to the Univ. Staff Grievance Commitee. Also, I
look forward to continuing the excellent work done by the Climate and
Information Committee. Thank you!
Robert Wahl – I like to help out our staff. I have been here 33 years.
Liz Wick - Liz Wick is a Sign Language Interpreter and Captionist with the
Accessibility Resource Center. After spending over 16 years working across the
campus, Liz knows the infra-structure of UWM, well. Her years of experience
have brought her in contact with numerous Colleges, Departments and classrooms
and personnel on campus. Liz knows the importance of collaboration, listening
intently, and discerning information, as this is what she does all day, every day in
the classroom with the students she serves. Good communication skills are a
necessity to be a successful sign language interpreter. A unique perspective Liz
can bring to committee work is her ability to connect with a wide range of
Stakeholders on campus (eg: students, faculty and staff) as she works with each
one on a regular basis. Additionally, confidentiality is standard practice in her
daily work at UWM. Liz is a UWM alumni holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Education. She has volunteered her time in numerous activities from

Commencement Marshalling to mentoring with students in the UWM Interpreter
Training Program.