Welcoming New Team Members to the OAR in July

Over the past few months, due to the essential nature of our work, the Office of Admissions and Recruitment has been able to add new members to its team. The Office is excited about the expertise, insight, and experiences these individuals will bring to their new roles. Please join us in welcoming our newest team members! Carole Alt, Event Support Specialist  Carole Alt has accepted the position as Event Support Specialist on the Events Team. Carole comes to us after years of providing administrative support to several organizations, including as a production manager at TacoCat Creations (local designer and manufacturer of cat toys), a quality assurance and improvement specialist at CapTel, and as an administrative assistant at the Dane County Humane Society. Carole also brings with her a passion for events and live production. For the past five years, Carole has worked as both a stage manager and administrative assistant at several local theater companies, including the Children’s Theater of Madison, KRASS, Broom Street Theater, and the Madison Theater Guild.   As the Event Support Specialist, Carole will provide critical support to the Events Team. Her work will include assisting with research and benchmarking; proofreading and copyediting event invitations, event listings on Visit Bucky, and other event materials; ordering event supplies; printing and assembling event day-of pieces; assisting on-site at events; and curating event invitation recipient lists. She will also be available to assist the Communications Team on an as-needed basis.      Sarah Blank, Regional Recruitment Manager, Western US  Sarah Blank will join our office as Regional Recruitment Manager for the Western US on July 15. This new position will work with multiple units and territory managers across the office to lead our strategy development and recruiting initiatives in the West Coast, Rocky Mountain region including Colorado, and southwest including Texas. Based in Lost Angeles, CA, Sarah joins office with over six years’ experience as a regional recruiter, first for Washington State University and most recently for University College Dublin (Ireland). She has been an active member of the Regional Admission Counselors of California (RACC) association since 2014 and is currently their Counselor Relations Chair. Sarah’s deep connections with school counselors and experience recruiting in the West is exciting addition to our office.    Kent Emerson, Information Specialist  Kent has a Ph.D. in English Literature, but most recently completed a Master’s in Library and Information Studies here at UW–Madison. Kent has honed his technical skills and continued interest in IT through coursework at the ISchool and brings over 5 years of experience digitizing periodicals and working with large data sets. Kent has additional trainings in project management, data visualization, and content management that will translate well to our work. Kent will begin with a focus on Perceptive Content and our automated document transmission processes.      Carissa Fischer-Rideout, Business Analyst  Carissa has spent over 20 years in IT at Lands’ End in roles spanning Project Management and Technical Business Analysis. Carissa helped implement Salesforce and brings a wealth of practical experience to our office! Carissa will be taking point on analyzing new, technical projects and helping us optimize our tools.       James Flores, Native American Outreach & Recruitment  James hold a BA in American Indian Studies and certificate in Cultures and Communities from UW-Milwaukee and a Masters in Progress: Public History and certificate in Museum Studies from UW-Milwaukee.  James is from the Oneida Nation and grew up in Milwaukee, WI. Most recently, James was the Scholarship Coordinator for the Forest County Potawatomi Foundation where he conducted outreach to tribal communities. He’s also an instructor for ACT 31: History, Culture and Sovereignty Rights of Wisconsin Indians at the School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee and previously worked as a public educator at the Milwaukee Public Museum advancing knowledge of Native American history and culture. James is a proud first-generation college student, passionate about sharing native culture, and connecting students with the power of education.    Nancy Hoffman, Senior Associate Director for Administration and Engagement  Nancy joined the OAR team on May 26. She is originally from the Madison area, having grown up on a farm in Verona. She is a two-time Badger and has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Behavioral Science & Law, and a certificate in Criminal Justice. She has a Master of Science in Educational Administration with a Higher Education emphasis. Nancy comes to OAR after working for more than 23 years in various roles with Campus and Visitor Relations, the welcoming front door to UW–Madison. Her most recent position was as director of the office where she collaborated with a team of several professional staff, 120+ student staff, and campus and community partners to serve students, faculty, staff, and visitors through tours, visits, and information services. She oversaw considerable growth and change in the office over the years, having co-led efforts such as opening several new service centers including UW–Madison’s first visitor center, founding the Parent and Family Program, and re-launching the Speaker Bureau, now called Badger Talks. Throughout her time with CAVR, she especially enjoyed collaboratively developing and implementing new strategies, systems, and processes that promoted access, increased efficiencies, empowered team members, and strengthened relationships between the campus and stakeholders. In OAR, Nancy leads the newly formed Administration and Engagement Team. This team facilitates business functions that span the office, including HR, budget, onboarding, policies and procedures, professional development, data reporting, special projects, strategic planning, and partnerships. She also facilitates campus and community partnerships.    Ketzhally Lopez, LatinX Outreach & Recruitment  Ketzhally holds a BA in Community & Nonprofit Leadership and certificate in Chican@/Latin@ Studies from UW–Madison. Ketzhally grew up in Green Bay, WI. Her personal journey as a first-generation college student and strong commitment to her LatinX community has inspired her to promote access to higher education from a young age. She’s worked at Centro Hispano here in Dane County since graduating in 2018 but also spent her undergrad years working to support local high school students experiencing obstacles in their quest for higher education.    Emily Pinderski, Admission Services Team   (Preferred name Emily, uses she/her/hers pronouns) is currently completing her Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (Focus: Global Higher Education) here at UW–Madison. While working on her masters, she has worked as a data support analyst in the International Academic Programs office, as well as working as an orientation program assistant with International Student Services (ISS). Her previous experience also includes working as an Operational Support Technician for the FBI and a student employee in Student Recruitment and Outreach at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Emily’s hobbies include reading, dance, gymnastics, and hiking.    Hasan Rahmanm, Information Specialist   Hasan has most recently been working on both an MBA and Associate’s in Computer Science. Hasan was an intern with the United States Agency for International Development as a Data Analytics Intern and actively worked with a wide range of data sets, gaining experience with business process mapping and improvements. Hasan brings a global mindset and demonstrated interest in learning new technologies. Hasan will have an early focus on our communication processes and help with data loads and reporting in Salesforce.      Ashanti Rogers, Wisconsin Initiatives Team  (Pronounced “uh-shh-ahn-tee”, uses she/her/hers pronouns) will join the Wisconsin Initiatives Team beginning July 15. Ashanti has worked as a Montessori infant/toddler teacher, a College Access Coach with College Possible in Saint Paul, MN, and as a PEOPLE Summer Program Mentor here in Madison. She also brings customer service experience from being an assistant store manager, front desk worker, and other retail endeavors. Ashanti is a PEOPLE and College Possible Scholar from Milwaukee who graduated from UW–Madison with a BA in Psychology and German. During her time as an undergrad at UW–Madison, Ashanti was a UW Health volunteer, a facilitator for the peer learning association, and (is still) an active leader in Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority.    Nathaniel Rosenberg, Admission Services Team   (Preferred name Nate, uses he/him/his pronouns) is currently working as an eAdvisor for College Advising Corps. He works with high-achieving, low-and moderate-income students from across the country as they go through the college process. He was also a senior fellow and summer intern at Kenyon College assisting with information sessions, student interviews, oversaw and hired other student fellows, and trained on how to conduct student interviews for the admissions processes. Nate’s interests include baking, playing with his dog (who he is sure will pop into meetings from time to time), and reading.      Michael Rutkowski, Admission Services Team   (Preferred name Michael, uses he/him/his pronouns) recently completed his Master of Science in College Student Affairs (Concentration in Conflict Analysis and Resolution) from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. While working on his masters, Michael was a Graduate Assistant for Training and Development in the Office of Orientation, as well as a Graduate Assistant as a Career Advisor in the Office of Career Development. Some of you may remember Michael worked in our office for a time as a Program Associate supporting events from September 2017 to July 2018. Michael enjoys traveling, cooking, and outdoor activities such as hiking and boating.      Shing Vang, Asian American Outreach & Recruitment  Shing holds a BA in Southeast Asian Studies and Languages & Cultures of Asia from UW–Madison  Shing is Hmong-American and grew up in Milwaukee, WI. She’s a proud first-generation Badger and credits both CeO and the PEOPLE program as being incredibly impactful to her journey. She has AmeriCorps experience in Madison, served as the Student & Family Engagement Specialist for Middleton High School, and most recently has been a Precollege Advisor for the PEOPLE program in Milwaukee. She’s deeply passionate about supporting student success.    Keira Vollandt, Admission Services Team   (Preferred name Keira, pronounced key-air-uh like Keira Knightley, uses she/her/hers pronouns) is currently completing her Master of Arts in Higher and Postsecondary Education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, NY. She most recently worked as an Admissions Graduate Assistant for the Columbia School of Social Work, reviewing applications, researching competitors, overhauling marketing literature, and assisting with events by doing tasks such as information sessions. She has also worked in admissions at Dominican College and Mercy College, both in New York. Keira is a competitive adult figure skater and has gone to nationals twice in her disciplines in the last three years. She also enjoys busting out her vocal training chops in karaoke from time to time.