UW-Whitewater provost and vice chancellor honored regionally for leadership
July 11, 2022
Prominent Milwaukee publications have honored two of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s leaders.
Each year the Milwaukee Business Journal honors key female leaders in southeast Wisconsin through its Women of Influence program. Artanya Wesley, who serves as vice chancellor for student affairs, was selected for honors in the “mentor” category. She was celebrated at an event on Tuesday, June 21, at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.
Wesley supervises, leads and manages the Division of Student Affairs at the university, and is knowns as a calm, positive, collaborative, motivational person.
Her nomination read, in part:
“An extremely intelligent and gifted woman, Artanya leads with her heart. The care in her eyes, the commitment in her breath and the drive to do what is right makes her who she is. She is a servant leader whose passion is to ensure all students — in particular those that came from humble communities like she did — see their potential and believe in themselves. Because Artanya will tell you, all things are possible.”
“Artanya is consistently sought out to provide guidance from within the UW system and region. She skillfully intermingles student assessment, student outcomes and co-curricular practices. She is a noted social justice advocate and scholar concerning Black Women and higher education. Most recently she was asked to lead the system-wide Diversity, Equity & Inclusion task force.”
Robin Fox has been recognized by the Milwaukee BizTimes as a Notable LGBTQ Executive. Fox was honored for her successful career — including supporting future teachers and advocating for educational issues — as well as her inclusive and respectful leadership style.
Fox has served UW-Whitewater for 32 years — currently as interim provost and previously as dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, which prepares more teachers for licensure than any Wisconsin university. She is a former Head Start teacher and director. Her areas of research include teacher preparation, how teachers can meet the needs of children who were adopted or are gender fluid, and working with schools about how to be inclusive of members of the LGBTQ community.
Her nomination read, in part:
“The LGBTQ+ community, and any underrepresented group, understands the importance of “being seen” or “seeing ourselves” in others — whether in the media, in sports, in our communities and in our workplaces. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Robin Fox is a visible, successful and respected leader who happens to be LGBTQ+. Through her leadership, Robin Fox inspires her LGBTQ+ colleagues at UW-Whitewater that we can unapologetically be our authentic selves, that this is a workplace that values our skillsets and contributions and that we can reach the pinnacle of leadership roles in this organization.”
“Her compassionate, bridge-building leadership style sets a tone of mutual respect and collaboration that is buoyed by her fierce commitment to our mission to serve students and to champion equal opportunity. She is an aspirational role model for LGBTQ+ persons on campus in our small town/rural community.”