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2008-09 Program Participants

Jeff Abuzzahab

Web and Multimedia Team Lead
College of Education and Human Development

Jeff Abuzzahab joined the University in 1995; his work involves developing interactive courseware, digital video production, and Web design. In his current role, he leads the Web and Multimedia Team for the College of Education and Human Development. Jeff collaborates with people throughout the University, balancing the subjective paradigm of design with the strict rules of technology to deliver rich media experiences on a global basis.

Jeff received his bachelor's degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Tracy Anderson

Microscopist and Digital Imaging Specialist
College of Biological Sciences Imaging Center

Tracy Anderson joined the University in 1997; his work focuses on training and providing support for University and industry researchers in the use of state-of-the-art microscopes and other imaging equipment. He also provides expertise in image analysis, processing, and output for publication. Additionally, Tracy furnishes technological and instructional support for the College's undergraduate teaching laboratories. He is currently serving his second term on the CBS Civil Service Consultative Committee. Some of Tracy's award-winning images produced at the Imaging Center have received world-wide recognition.

Tracy received a bachelor's degree in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota. His previous experience includes work in the biotech industry.

Sophia Anema

Coordinator
Office of Institutional Compliance

Sophia Anema joined the University in 2003 and works closely with the director to “serve, safeguard, and promote ethical practices” at the University. A few of her roles include project manager for initiatives created in the office, committee participant (both as member and staffer), project team member (University-wide projects such as PULSE Survey and Policy Improvement), and author of communications to increase integrity awareness.

After growing up in Chicago, Sophia received her bachelor's degree from Yale University and her master's degree from Oxford University. Prior to coming to the University, Sophia worked at United HealthGroup as a project manager for 10 years.

Dean Carlson

Capital Planner
University Services – Capital Planning Property Management (CPPM)

Dean Carlson's responsibilities include preparing the University's biennial Capital Bonding Request, developing the six-year Capital Plan, and participating in general campus planning issues. He works with various departments in project initiation and predesign including the development of new facilities and renovations of existing facilities. He was active in the CPPM's Customer Transformation team which examined strategies to more effectively serve its customers.

Dean received his bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts in 1986 and attended the Humphrey Institute of Public affairs from 1988-90. He has worked for a U. S. Congressman, a private planning consulting firm, and the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority prior to coming to the University in January 2005.

Stacy Doepner-Hove

Onboarding Program Manager
Office of Human Resources

Stacy Doepner-Hove focuses on the development and implementation of the new employee orientation program for all University employees. She works closely with human resources professionals and others from around the University to get input and ideas for this new program. Prior to coming to the Office of Human Resources, she worked for eight years at the UM Law School and has also served as a representative to and vice-chair of the Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA).

Stacy is a two-and-a-half time graduate of the UM. She earned her bachelor's degree in History in 1994, her law degree in 1997, and is anticipating finishing a master's degree in human resources and industrial relations in 2009.

Mary Vincent Franco

Associate Program Director
College of Design Student Services

Mary Vincent Franco coordinates academic advising services for undergraduate students in the College of Design (CDes). Her responsibilities include advising team supervision, advising resources and student support, retention initiatives, program management, electronic and print communications, and staff development. She serves as part of the CDes Student Services leadership team; she has also worked on many collegiate and University-wide initiatives and committees, including the undergraduate portal (MyU), SMART Learning Commons, Welcome Week, Veterans Advisory Committee, and the Academic Advising Network Board.

Mary received her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and her master's degree from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. She is an alumna of the University's Women's Leadership Institute, 2003-04. Previously, Mary worked in the University's College of Human Ecology and College of Continuing Education, as well as at Macalester College and the Universidad de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

Korey Garibaldi

Recruitment Coordinator – Public Affairs Graduate Program
Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs

Korey Garibaldi has worked in his current position for the past four years. He has also served on the institute's Diversity Committee since 2006. An advocate of lifelong learning, he regularly pursues offerings from the college's History, American Studies, and French departments with the assistance of the Regents Scholarship.

Korey received a bachelor's degree in History at the University of Minnesota. He also serves on the board of directors of the History Theatre.

Craig Gjerdingen

Applications Development Manager
Carlson School of Management

Craig Gjerdingen is the coach of a team that builds solutions that focus on business value, customer collaboration, and responsiveness to change. A software development manager for the Carlson School of Management since 2003, Craig is an avid practitioner of continuous quality improvement methodologies such as Lean, Kaizen, and Agile. His responsibilities include working across several functional areas, organizational boundaries, and on several projects that are part of the Transforming the U - Strategic Repositioning.

Craig received his master's degree in Software Engineering in 2007 and B.I.S in 1992 from the U of M. His previous work experience includes the law firm of Dorsey and Whitney LLP; Quebecor World Inc.; and as owner of a short-lived DotCom.

JP Hagerty

Competency Program Coordinator
Training Services, Office of Human Resources

JP Hagerty joined Training Services to manage the newly established financial competency program, the Training Services assessment process, and the connections to other competency programs within the Organizational Effectiveness unit.

She recently completed her assignment as the organizational design team leader on the University's Enterprise Financial System (EFS) project. As the team leader, JP succeeded in helping representatives from all colleges, VP administrative units, and coordinate campuses to design and transform their financial organizational structures to support EFS business process and management decisions. Throughout this transition, JP maintained frequent contact with the committees to guide them through this process.

JP received her bachelor's degree at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and is an alumna of the U of M's Women's Leadership Institute. Her previous professional experience at the University includes three years as a compliance analyst in the Office of Oversight, Analysis, and Reporting and three years at the Humphrey Institute.

Bryan Herrmann

Senior Associate Director
Enrollment Management – U of M, Morris

Bryan Herrmann began his work at U of M, Morris in 2001 and has served in multiple capacities within the Office of Admissions. His current responsibilities include admissions and retention operations, development of enrollment strategy, and implementation of the communication plans for the enrollment area. Additionally, he coordinates the work of the retention working group and serves on several campus committees, including working closely on the development of the strategic positioning document for the Morris Campus.

Bryan received his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris in Economics and Management and his master's degree of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Katherine Himes

Assistant to the Provost
Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Katherine Himes assumed her current position in 2006. Her work focuses on the academic portion of the University's strategic positioning initiative, including the Institute for the Advancement of Science and Engineering and communicating strategic positioning-related progress to the Board of Regents. Some of her recent projects include the academic portion of the University's NCAA certification report, a television project to increase the visibility of research at the University to the Twin Cities community, and several dean and director searches. Her involvement in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate as a graduate student in Neuroscience sparked an interest in education policy and administration.

Katherine earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota; her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota. An interdisciplinary scholar, Katherine has a graduate minor in the feminist philosophy of science and an undergraduate minor in German.

Jacqueline Hoffsten

IT Manager
Office of Information Technology (OIT)

Jacqueline Hoffsten is the IT manager for the Storage and Backup Infrastructure team within the Office of Information Technology. Her responsibilities include leading her team in the design, development, installation, testing, documentation, and implementation for Enterprise-wide Storage Area Networks and backup systems specifically related to UNIX, Linux, and Windows hosted systems. She is leading several University initiatives across functional areas in relation to SAN and backup system deliverables. She has collaborated extensively with many of the University colleges to meet the needs of those units as it relates to storage.

Jacqueline received her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and began her employment with the University Audits group 14 years ago. She held positions as a systems administrator and project manager within OIT before assuming her current management role.

Ronald Huesman

Assistant Director
Office of Institutional Research (OIR)

Ronald Huesman joined the University in 2000 as an analyst with OIR. In his current capacity, Ron is responsible for the exchange of data with other institutions of higher education across the country, the analysis of central University satisfaction, and exit and alumni surveys. He also coordinates the federally required Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collection for the University of Minnesota system and serves on the Steering Committee for Enhancing Student Learning. His primary research interests are student retention and graduation outcomes.

Ron earned a Ph.D in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa (1999), a master's degree in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa (1992), and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN (1987).

Nickolas Kemske

Business Development Manager – Continuing Professional Education
College of Continuing Education

Nickolas Kemske serves as the primary point of contact for new business opportunities with each of the unit's three departments. In addition, Nick manages the unit's Production Center and general office operations. Last year through CPE, research dissemination activities and programming attracted over 22,000 participants to 174 programs sponsored by University colleges and departments; 148 professional development courses were held serving approximately 2400 adult learners; and over 85,000 adult learners participated in approximately 750 events supported at the Continuing Education and Conference Center.

Nick earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Japanese from the U of M, and he has worked for the College of Continuing Education for nearly six years. His previous experience includes working in the financial services field, owning his own computer repair company, and working as a software specialist for a private consultant.

Michele Lorenz

Retail Director
Student Unions & Activities

Michele Lorenz has worked with the Student Unions & Activities since 1996 – first as a student employee and then as a staff member beginning in 2000. Previously the retail manager, Michele assumed the role of retail director in June of 2008. In this role, she oversees the daily operations of the retail areas on the East, West, and St. Paul campuses. This includes the postal contract stations, convenience stores, gamerooms, and information desks. Her professional interests in higher education include student development in terms of academic and life skills, institutional change and progress, technological advancements, and financial measures.

Michele received a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota.

Peyton N. Owens, III

Assistant Director
McNamara Academic Center for Student-Athlete (MAC)

Peyton N. Owens joined the University of Minnesota in 2006 as the director of CHAMPS/Life Skills and has held his current position since 2007. CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes' Minds for Personal Success) is geared towards equipping student-athletes with the skill sets necessary to maximize the resources afforded them at the University in preparation for life beyond athletics.

In his current role, Peyton works to uphold the MAC's mission: guiding student-athletes to graduation, building positive relationships, and enhancing the overall student-athletes experience. He works with a variety of student-athlete welfare issues within the athletics department, campus, and surrounding community, and he also assists in staff development and leadership exploration to better serve the University of Minnesota's stakeholders.

Peyton received his bachelor's degree from The College of William & Mary and his master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Heather L. Peterson

Manager – One Stop Student Services
Academic Support Resources

Heather Peterson joined the University in 2003 as a counselor in the One Stop Student Services. In her current role, her work has focused on enhancing the counselor-training program and designing a new online Student Account system. In her spare time, she also volunteers through outreach efforts on college access to low income families.

Heather received her bachelor's degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in Leadership in Student Affairs from the University of St. Thomas.

Renee Rivers

Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives
Office of Information Technology (OIT)

Renee Rivers assists the associate vice president and associate chief information officer to develop concepts, ideas, and plans for OIT services and products that strategically align with the U of M core mission. Renee partners with other U of M and internal OIT units to help define technology-related services or products, assemble subject experts to evaluate the services or products, and assist with the “path” to implement them. Her other responsibilities include the OIT Software License Program.

Renee received a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. She has been involved in a two-year term within the U of M Senate, as well as participated in the U of M Women's Leadership Institute. Prior to her current position, she was manager of University Computer Services for six years.

Jody Seiler-Peterson

Technology Project Coordinator
Academic Support Resources

Jody Seiler-Peterson began her career at the University in 2000 in Academic Support Resources (ASR) as a loan counselor and business analyst. In 2005, she transitioned to her current role and is responsible for orchestrating ASR's portfolio of dozens of Enterprise-wide projects in the areas of Student Records, Student Finance, Financial Aid, and One Stop Student Services. In this role, Jody facilitates project completion by communicating with various stakeholders University-wide, representing ASR at meetings with internal and external business units, and maintaining the ASR project portfolio.

Jody is a current member of the U of M Communicators Forum and the Project and Change Management Collaborators group. She holds a master's degree in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota.

Kent Spaulding

Development Officer
Corporate and Foundation Relations – U of M, Rochester

Kent Spaulding focuses on philanthropic development for UMR programs and the promotion of public and private relationships that support both educational and economic development, improve the ability of the business community to partner with the U of M to sponsor research and commercialize intellectual property, and help business/government entities access University resources, including colleges, departments and institutes, and research programs.

Kent has more than 12 years of experience in alumni relations, fundraising, and development work in higher education. Prior to coming to U of M, Rochester, Kent worked in development and alumni relations positions at Minnesota State University, Mankato; the U of M, TC; and William Mitchell College of Law.

Shane Stennes

Human Resources Consultant
University Services

Shane Stennes joined University Services' Office of Human Resources in October 2006. In this role, Shane partners with employees in several departments to work on employee and labor relations, recruitment, selection, operations management, organizational development, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Shane worked for four years at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, providing human resource services to faculty and staff in the College of Engineering.

Shane earned his bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Minnesota and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina.

Gwen Sutter

Assistant to the Director
Weisman Art Museum

Gwen started at the museum as a student employee and was part of the staff when the museum designed and built its new facility. She is looking forward to working again with Frank Gehry on the museum expansion scheduled to begin construction next year. Gwen has assisted in developing exhibitions from the museum's collection of Mimbres pottery and Korean furniture as well as on an exhibition of Frank Gehry's museum designs. Currently, her team is working to make the Weisman's large art collection accessible to the University and the community on the Web.

In her free time, she volunteers for the Art Adventures program in the Minneapolis schools to get kids excited about art and museums.

Yelena Yan

Online Instructional Designer
College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)

Yelena Yan has worked at the University of Minnesota since 2003. In her role, Yelena provides consulting services to the college community on issues related to systematic planning, design, and implementation of online learning initiatives and opportunities. Yelena enjoys working with the CEHD faculty and instructors to enhance support and development processes, research for technology-mediated solutions, and use diverse technologies to best meet teaching and learning needs.

Yelena received her bachelor's degree in teaching from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and a master's degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Makeda Zulu-Gillespie

Community Liaison
Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center and U of M Northside Partnership

Makeda Zulu-Gillespie works to coordinate the UNP Community Affairs Committee, responding to community inquiries, representing the UROC at community forums, and serving as a bridge between the University and North Minneapolis community to ensure clear and coherent communications, and develop outreach and engagement activities that will contribute to the development of sustainable partnerships and programs between the University, North Minneapolis, the city of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County. Makeda seeks to establish alliances that use the knowledge and power of communities to make a difference.

Before joining the University, Zulu-Gillespie worked for over 15 years with youth, families, and community to realize self-defined goals. She holds a bachelor's degree in Management from Grambling State University and is currently working toward a master's degree in Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

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