Search committee formed for Secretary of Academic Staff

A search committee of eight has begun the process of identifying a new secretary of the academic staff. The person selected will replace Donna Silver, who retired Jan. 3.

Responsibilities include serving as a resource for the more than 8,000 academic staff members, acting as a liaison between the Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) and university administration and assisting on any other matters related to shared governance. A complete description can be found online. 

The search committee is chaired by Brenda Spychalla, assistant director of Media, Education Resources and Information Technology (MERIT) at the School of Education.

“We’re looking for someone who has a strong understanding of shared governance, especially at UW–Madison, and a demonstrated commitment to promoting and supporting academic staff issues,” Spychalla says. “We need someone who can collaborate, facilitate, adapt to change and embrace it.”

Other committee members include Marwa Bassiouni, Translational Technologies Resource Core (TTRC) administrator with the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) ; Mo Bischof, assistant vice provost; Bruno Browning, chief information officer, College of Letters & Science; Barb Gerloff, assistant dean for student services in the School of Education; Robin Kurtz, distinguished faculty associate in the Department of Bacteriology; Kevin Niemi, outreach director for the Institute for Biology Education; and Jeff Shokler, assistant director for Advising Technology and Assessment.

Jo Ann Carr is serving as the interim secretary of the academic staff. Spychalla says they hope to have a new secretary recommended by June.