What is your current position?
I am the program manager for the education, communication, and outreach (ECO) program within the Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR)
When did you start working in SMPH? At UW?
I began working in SMPH in January 2019, when I accepted a position as a research program manager in DFMCH. I was recruited to CHDR just as it was launching and joined the team in November 2021.
My history with UW–Madison is a bit longer: I first arrived on campus in the Fall of 2004 when I began my PhD program, and I have worked in several different areas of campus—from English to Engineering—primarily in undergraduate instruction and academic program administration. All told, if you count grad school employment in the tally, I have been a campus employee in some capacity or another for two decades (which is a little wild to see written out on the page)!
What does a typical day look like for you?
My role, which is by its nature centrally and cross-functionally situated, requires that I learn a little bit about a whole lot of things so I can do the things I’m trusted to do. That means there is a lot of opportunity and a lot of variety: on any given day, I have the privilege to learn, develop, hone, or flex different skill sets, adopt or test a new method or tool, or engage with a different set of colleagues or stakeholders, all in service to developing and managing our ECO program and contributing to the administrative and operational leadership of the Center.
Tangibly, that means I might be working with colleagues to develop, review, and or provide feedback and suggest direction for materials, policy documents, grants, or education and outreach initiatives that align with our overarching strategic vision and operate within the scope of both SMPH and Campus policy and practice. I may be tracking, compiling, evaluating, and synthesizing outcomes data to fulfill reporting needs, inform decision making, strategic planning, or grant development, or better understand and align with our audience(s) and their needs. I may be completely immersed in the creative space, developing and editing content or designing materials and assets that support and disseminate our work, advance our mission, or contribute to fostering community, collaboration, reach, and growth. I may be in “maintenance mode,” ensuring that all members of our faculty and staff have access to the ECO-aligned tools, infrastructure, information, and resources they need and that those tools and systems are up to date and in working order. Often, I am a sounding board and resource for my colleagues—and that type of consultation, whether formal or informal, may be my favorite part of the gig.
What is your workplace superpower?
Broadly, I would say that I am particularly adept at synthesizing vast and varied information and detail and making connections between disparate bits. More specifically, though, as someone who is hard of hearing (HOH) and has relied on hearing aids since I was 16, I am (perhaps unexpectedly) a skilled listener and often “hear” what others miss. I see these abilities—synthesis and active, critical listening— as a single “workplace superpower,” though, because my method of listening relies not as much on auditory cues as it does on observing gestures, other visual cues, and contexts and synthesizing all that sensory input—but it is a skill that is handily transferable to other (non-listening) contexts.
What is something personal you keep on your desk? (feel free to share a photo if you’d like!)
I have a framed photo that has accompanied me from space to space for many, many years: it shows a makeshift road sign along a dirt and gravel road, deep in a thick wood. The sign is fashioned from a piece of scrap metal, slightly rusty, with crude lettering made of black electrical tape that spells out “PA/WV.” It’s a sign my grandfather made long ago to mark the state line between Pennsylvania and West Virginia along a back road behind his house.
Where are you from originally?
Born in West Virginia and raised in Pennsylvania with one foot either side of the state line—like eight generations of my family before me.
What is your favorite place to spend time in Madison? In the world?
In Madison and in the world, I love all the old nooks and wild places. Sitting along those big, heavy, leaded-glass bay windows in der Rathskeller on a cold fall day when the ivy is wild and vivid and the lake is shining or churning checks both boxes nicely in Madison. But nothing fills me up like a visit to my mountains: the Alleghenies of western Appalachia.
What are you reading right now? (Alternatively: What 1-2 books, articles, or podcasts, can you recommend to your SMPH colleagues?)
Three books I’m currently reading are Blood Runs Coal by Mark Bradley, On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz, and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Share one fact about yourself that you co-workers might not be aware of.
My taste in music is all over the place, but when I’m particularly stressed, nothing—and I mean nothing—soothes, calms, and restores me like blasting Metallica. I’ve a soft spot for all heavy metal, really.
That’s . . . maybe a bit of an unexpected contrast to my standard work uniform of chignons, heels, and pearls.
Optional: Ask yourself one more question and answer it.
What is one thing you’d love to learn and/or do?
Build a boat! My husband and I are avid paddlers, and I would love nothing more than to build a usable wooden kayak. One of these days . . .