College of Education and Professional Studies Dean's Advisory Board
Dean's Advisory Board members include both alumni and friends of the university. They are civic leaders, individuals with knowledge and expertise that can be highly beneficial to both the students and faculty within the College of Education and Professional Studies.
Board members represent a range of careers, backgrounds and expertise. A strong effort will be made to include diversity with the membership itself, male-female balance, and desirable ratio of local to non-local members.
Board Members Fall 2012
|
Anna Burish Associate Director of The Burish Group/UBS
|
|
Donna Rae Clasen
|
|
Cheri Cope MS '96 Owner, Athletic Mind, LLC
|
| Bob Gilpatrick '66 District Administrator, Argyle School District  Bob received his BSE from UW-Whitewater with a major in elementary education and a minor in business economics. He received his MS from UW-Madison in educational administration and his PhD from Marquette University with a major in curriculum and instruction. He has extensive corporate experience as well as educational administration experience. He is a past Superintendent of the Verona Area School District and past Executive Director of Wisconsin AdvancED/North Central Association. He is currently the part-time Superintendent of Argyle School District, Argyle, Wisconsin. |
|
Polly Goepfert '88 |
|
Todd Gray '77 MSE '82 MS '84 |
| Mary Haakenson '72 MS '80 Art Teacher, Beloit Memorial High School  Mary graduated from UW-Whitewater with a BSE in art education as well as an MS in school counseling and has completed several years of graduate study at UW-Madison in curriculum and instruction. Mary has been teaching for some 33 years. She currently works as an art teacher at Beloit Memorial High School. She is also the Chair of the Art Department at Beloit Memorial High School. She frequently supervises UW-Whitewater student teachers as well as student teachers from a number of other colleges and is currently on the College of Education's ad hoc NCATE/DPI Committee for cooperating teachers.She and her husband run a dairy farm in Evansville and they have two grown sons. |
| Kevin Hoffman '78 Owner & President, A to Z RentAll and Sales  Kevin graduated from UW–Whitewater with a BBA in marketing in 1978. During college he worked for Professor G. M. Naidu conducting market research projects. This experience led to a position upon graduation with Ohio Medical Products as a Market Research Analyst where he did market research in anesthetics, anesthesia machines, ventilators, neo-natal intensive care units, and medical supplies. Kevin received an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1985. He joined A to Z RentAll and Sales, an equipment rental company in Madison, in 1980. This family business was started by his father in 1954 and has grown to two locations, and evolved into two operating divisions: tools and special events. He has been active at his church serving as Moderator, in his state trade association serving as President, and is a member of Madison Rotary serving on the foundation board. He lives in Madison with his wife and has two grown daughters, both graduates of UW-Whitewater – one in education and one in criminal justice. |
|
Earl Humphrey '73
|
| Monica Kelsey-Brown '90 MS '92 DIFI/SIFI & Student Achievement Supervisor, Milwaukee Public Schools 
|
| Barbara Mischio MEPD '84 Retired from the UW-Whitewater Department of Curriculum & Instruction 
Barbara is an emeriti faculty member who worked in the College of Education from the 1980’s to 2002. She received her BS from Kean University in New Jersey with a dual certification in General Elementary and Speech and Language Therapy. She received her MEPD from UW-Whitewater with an emphasis in Gifted and Talented and did post graduate work at UW-Madison. At UW-Whitewater she was a member of the Curriculum and Instruction Department where she taught literacy classes and supervised student teachers. In addition, Barbara was Coordinator for the annual Early Childhood Conference and Coordinator for the Ed. Foundations Department's, Comparative Education/Overseas Fieldwork course, which served numerous countries abroad, plus she also initiated the Australia Student Teaching option. |
| Pauli Nikolay '72 MEPD '89 Retired Site Coordinator, Instructor and Mentor, Cardinal Stritch University  Pauli has served as a teacher, principal, director of instruction, superintendent, and educational consultant for over 40 years. She earned her MS in professional development in 1989 and her MEPD in reading in 1972 at UW-Whitewater. Her work as a consultant is in the areas of innovative leadership, systems change, and improving teaching and learning processes. She also develops and facilitates workshops on leadership, teamwork, culture, and improvement/innovation strategies. A former Assistant State Superintendent for Instructional Services at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, her focus is always on excellence for all students. Among her awards, she received the WI Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Educator of the Year Award, the WI Educational Media Association Administrator of the Year Award, the WI State Reading Association Outstanding Administrator Award, and the WI Women’s Leader in Education Award. She currently serves as a site coordinator, instructor, and mentor for students in the Master’s in Educational Leadership program at Cardinal Stritch University. |
| Ann Riall Retired Associate Professor, UW-Whitewater Special Education and Early Childhood  Ann received her BA in political science, and her MA in special education, from the University of Alabama. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development, specializing in severe disabilities, from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. After working with students with disabilities and finishing her doctorate, she worked at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans and at the University of Southern Mississippi. For the 18 years preceding her recent retirement, she taught special education at UW-Whitewater and led the team that developed the highly regarded blended early childhood education major. She continues to supervise student teachers for UW-Whitewater in retirement. |
|
Joanne Robis '76 MBA '92
Joanne serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the UW-Whitewater College of Education and Professional Studies and she completed 12 years of service on the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board of Directors. She has volunteered as an Examiner with the Wisconsin Forward Award since 1997. Joanne also volunteers for the Nazareth Project with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In her spare time Joanne enjoys cooking for friends, walking, biking, kayaking, and reading. |
| Steve Ryan MEPD '76 Retired Middle School Principal, Whitewater Unified School District  Steve received his BA in mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa and his MEPD from UW-Whitewater. He recently retired as Principal of the Whitewater Middle School after being named as Wisconsin’s Associate Principal of the Year in 1992 and the Wisconsin Middle Level Principal of the Year in 2000. He is past president of the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators Association and a 3-year member of the NASSP National Middle Level Commission in Washington, D.C. Steve and his wife Melanie, recently retired French teacher at the Phoenix Middle School in Delavan, are the principal donors to the Keith L. Collins Family Scholarship in honor of Melanie’s father, Keith Collins, who for many years was the administrator of certification and licensure in the College of Education. |
| Mark Schmitt '75 Principal, Delavan - Darien High School  Mark graduated from UW-Whitewater with a major in broadfield social studies and a minor in music. He earned his MS in education from Mount Saint Mary College and his Ed.D. from Cardinal Stritch University. Mark has been involved in education for 35 years with extensive administrative experience in both public and Catholic schools. He currently is the principal at Delavan-Darien High School. He has previously worked for Catholic Memorial High School, Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, and Kewaunee High School. |
| Mary Severson '75 Retired Substitute Teacher  Mary received her BSE from UW-Whitewater with a major in elementary education and a minor in physical education. Mary first taught in Wisconsin schools and then as a substitute teacher in schools where her husband was transferred to with UPS, namely Seattle, Washington; Madrid, Spain; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Carmel, Indiana. Mary returned to Wisconsin in 2007 and currently operates an equestrian center in Juda. Mary is a Member of the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board of Directors and she and her husband are Permanent Members of the Chancellor’s Council. She is also a volunteer tutor for ESL at her local Literacy Council in Green County. |
| Donna Sorensen Retired Principal, Wileman Elementary School  Donna received her BS in family and consumer education from Iowa State University and her MS in educational administration from UW-Madison. Her initial 2 years of teaching at the middle school level occurred in Wichita, Kansas followed by a year in Kenosha. She has spent the last 30 years in the Delavan-Darien School District. She was the Allied Arts Team Leader and F.A.C.E. teacher at Phoenix Middle School for eight years beginning in 1981, followed by 4 years at Delavan-Darien High School as the Associate Principal. For the past 18 years she has been the K-5 Elementary Principal at Wileman Elementary School. She has spent several years on the AWSA (Association of WI School Administrators) Board of Directors in various roles. In recognition of her work at Wileman she was named NAESP National Distinguished Principal and Wisconsin Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2003-2004. |
| Sandy Thorpe '78 MS '89 Retired Speech Pathologist, Beloit Public Schools  Sandy received her BSE and MS in communicative disorders from UW-Whitewater. She recently retired from Beloit Public Schools where she served as a Speech Pathologist. Prior to working in the Beloit School District, she was employed at the Beloit Memorial Hospital in a speech pathology position. |
|
Judy Whalen '70 President, Center for Strategic Change LLC  Judy Whalen is president of Whalen & Associates, Inc. and the Center for Strategic Change LLC, a consulting firm that helps business and nonprofit leaders think and act strategically. CSC specializes in strategy, market research, and communication services. Its clients include both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Judy has over 30 years of experience. Throughout her career, Judy has had the unique opportunity of working directly with CEO’s and boards of directors. Prior to starting CSC, Judy served as president of an association management company in Chicago.Judy also has first-hand experience as a board member. She served nine years on the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board of Trustees, serving as a member of the Executive Committee and as Treasurer. She completed a six-year term on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Board of Visitors, an advisory board to the Chancellor. She has a BS in education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In addition, she has graduate credits in public policy and has completed the six-year Institute for Organization Management at Notre Dame, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. |
|
Lieutenant Colonel Brian Wolhaupter Deputy Director, Human Resources/Personnel (G1) for the Wisconsin Army National Guard  Brian’s connection with UW-Whitewater began when he served at the Professor of Military Science for Army ROTC from fall of 2009 to the winter of 2011. He graduated from St. John’s University, MN in 1989 with a BA in History and started a varied career with the US Army. Serving on active duty for the first 8 years after college he was stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA, and Ft. Sill, OK as a Field Artillery Officer. While at Ft. Sill he began his experience as a military instructor teaching newly graduated and commissioned officers at the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses. Brian left the active Army in 1996 and worked for about 5 years in the corporate logistics and shipping field while serving as a traditional “weekend” Army National Guardsman. In 2001, he reentered active service as a full time Wisconsin Army guardsman. Since then he has worked in training, human resources, and command roles, highlighted with a deployment and Battalion Command in Kuwait and Iraq in 2006-2007, and his assignment as the Professor of Military Science at UWW. Brian is currently the Deputy G1 (Human Resources Director) for the 7000+ Soldiers in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He has an MBA from Touro University and is working toward a Master’s in Strategic Studies as a student at the US Army War College. Brian has lived in Watertown, WI since 1998 and is 23 years married to his wife Cathy, and has two children. |
Anna joined The Burish Group (a Madison UBS branch) in 2003 as an associate director. She has served in many capacities throughout her distinguished career in finance. In 1984, she started with Merrill Lynch as a client service associate (CSA); in 1985, she became a financial advisor and by 1987 was a founding member of a team that is still one of the top ranked today. From 1991 to 1993, she worked at their New Jersey corporate office in the business financial services area and she was part of the first team of marketing people to be based outside of the corporate office. In this role, she serviced over 300 offices west of Denver including Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. In 1996 she was recruited to UBS Financial Services and was based out of Los Angeles, California, where she was a divisional managed accounts consultant advising financial advisors on all aspects of working with professional money managers and managed accounts. Before coming to Madison, she co-managed the downtown Chicago branch, one of the largest UBS U.S. branches, where she held the title Divisional Vice President. Anna holds an executive master’s in business administration from the UW-Madison as well as a BA degree from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Currently, Anna sits on several Board of Directors including St. Mary's Hospital Foundation; Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS); and United Way of Dane County. She and her husband, Andy, make their home in Madison.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = "O" />
Donna Rae taught in the Educational Foundation Department at UW-Whitewater for 16 years. She also has taught high school English and Spanish. Her MS and Ph.D. are from UW-Madison. Her areas of interest are gifted and talented adolescents and underprivileged youth. At UW-Whitewater, she received a three-year federal grant to implement Project STREAM, a program designed to identify and academically assist minority adolescents with college potential. Following expiration of the grant, the program received support to continue from UW-Whitewater, DPI, and participating school districts. Donna Rae served as director for 12 years. She has been recognized by local and state organizations for her service to education and recently was the recipient of the Rossmiller Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Association of Talented and Gifted. She currently serves on the Board of Eagle School, a private school in Madison for gifted students, and volunteers as a docent at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Cheri turned a passion for sports, a BA in psychology and a MS in counselor education into a career motivating athletes and others to reach their full potential.
Polly received her BSE from UW-Whitewater with a major in elementary education. In 1992, she became involved in a professional development program called WASDI (Wisconsin Academy of Staff Development), where she attained the level of Lead Teacher. She has been working in the Stoughton School District for twenty-two years. She previously taught for four years in Winnebago, Illinois. She has lived in Stoughton for over thirty years with her husband David and their four children.
Todd received his BSE from UW-Whitewater with a major in business education, as well as an MS in Accounting and an MSE in School Business Management. He also holds a specialist in administration leadership degree from UW-Milwaukee. He is a candidate for a PhD in educational leadership and policy analysis with the University of Wisconsin. He has served with two international accounting firms as well as in Assistant and Deputy Superintendent positions in the Oshkosh and Appleton School Districts. He was recently appointed to his current position with the School District of Waukesha. Todd’s father, George Gray, taught in the School of Business Management at UW-Whitewater from 1968 to 1993.
Earl received his BBA from UW-Whitewater with a major in general business. He currently works as the Senior Director at Interactive Data Corporation. As the Senior Director, Earl is responsible for Sales and Relationship Management for the Western, Central and South Eastern United States, Canada and Latin America. Prior to holding this position, he served as Regional Director for Broadcasting Data/Interactive Data Corporation.
Joanne received her BS and MBA degrees from UW-Whitewater. Her career includes service to the UW System as a senior level administrator and additional experience in software application testing, documentation and support in the food distribution, construction and dairy sectors. 
