WISCONSIN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Grant Administrator
- Grant Administrator - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
Areas of expertise for Cayla include pre- and post-award administration, monitoring, oversight and analysis; education policy and advocacy.
Cayla likes teamwork and leads by asking a lot of questions. She figures if she has a question, someone else probably does too! She also values the different skillsets, perspectives and experiences of colleagues when trying to accomplish something at work.
One favorite aspect of her job is working with her IBE co-workers and program stakeholders. She also enjoys the opportunity to collaborate and innovate across units on pre- and post-award administration and management.
Projects that have clear objectives and prioritize teamwork and inclusivity are most meaningful to Cayla.
Outside of work, Cayla enjoys being outside, including taking walks, hiking, (car) camping and picnicking. She is hoping to volunteer as a GED/adult literacy tutor this spring.
Master of Public Affairs - Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bachelor of Arts - Economics; Spanish & Portuguese Studies, University of Minnesota
Job Titles:
- Special Projects Director
- Strategic Projects Director - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
Colleen specializes in creative financial packages, strategy planning, startups and connecting to resources. She maintains a workplace that is fast paced, fun, collaborative and always looking for ways to innovate and improve.
Watching clients achieve their dreams through hard work and dedication is one of her favorite aspects of the job. Projects that are especially meaningful to Colleen are multifaceted, require creative approaches and help people/companies reach their goals when they weren't quite sure they could.
She loves to serve on the board for the Boys and Girls club. Her hobbies encompass anything that involves outdoors and sunshine: kayaking, hiking, swimming and spending time with friends and family.
MBA
BBA Finance
Job Titles:
- District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration ( SBA ) Wisconsin District
Job Titles:
- Financial Officer
- Business Affairs Director - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship / Financial Officer - Small Business Development Center
Gina has extensive experience with complex budgets, financial analysis, grant management and effective collaboration. Those who have the pleasure of working with Gina know she is approachable and always ready to talk numbers.
One aspect of her job she really enjoys is working with a great team because she feels you can accomplish so much more when you work together. Projects become especially meaningful to Gina when they help translate abstract numbers into a concrete value.
Outside of work, spending time with family is important to Gina; she particularly enjoys keeping up with her two daughters' activities.
Master of Public Administration
Bachelor of Arts, Economics
One aspect of Gina's job that she really enjoys is working with a great team because she feels you can accomplish so much more when you work together. Projects become especially meaningful to Gina when they help translate abstract numbers into a concrete value.
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- Network Accountant - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
Areas of expertise for James include numbers and budgets. Designing and managing spreadsheets and pivot tables are especially important to him. His co-workers value his ability to interpret and explain policy and say James is always a pleasure to be around. Those who work with James enjoy his patience, positive attitude and efficiency.
BA in Business Management
Job Titles:
- Data Manager
- Data Manager - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
Jason's areas of expertise include collecting, cleaning and analyzing data; teaching and training others; and conveying complex technical information in ways that non-technical audiences can understand.
People who have worked with Jason describe him as easygoing and always keeping the big picture in mind. He feels the best aspect of his job so far has been the amazing colleagues at IBE. He firmly believes that anything can be a good experience if you do it with the right people around you and IBE is full of the right people.
Projects that are most meaningful to Jason include analyzing and interpreting raw data to generate potential solutions to problems or areas for growth, taking the abstract and making it practically useful.
Jason likes playing and watching all manner of sports and games from skiing, running, football and soccer to board games, cribbage and video games. He also enjoys international travel, particularly to sites of historical importance.
BA Political Science, Economics and International Studies - UW-Madison
Job Titles:
- SBDC State Director - Small Business Development Center
- State Director
Ken creates a rewarding and steady professional environment, which makes it easy for him to come to work every day. He enjoys anything that adds value to the small business community and improves the quality of life for entrepreneurs across the state.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Communications Specialist - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
Kody's areas of expertise include marketing and communications writing and promotion, social media creation and management, website curation and development, event planning and cross-team communications.
Working with Kody is collaborative and entertaining! His open mind and quick humor can add fun to stressful projects while still keeping the team focused. Listening to others and applying creative ideas are strengths Kody brings to teams.
The favorite aspect of his job is the ability to access every part of entrepreneurship in Wisconsin. As the marketing and communications specialist for the Institute, he is able to touch and promote every part of the programming, from the high-tech CTC to food businesses in FFI and everything in-between with the SBDC. Helping to tell client stories in creative ways is meaningful to Kody. Learning to tell stories through more in-depth video production is an important part of his development.
Kody is passionate about cooking in his free time, testing new creative recipes for friends and family is his favorite hobby. He also enjoys yoga as well as paddle-boarding and hammocking and spending time with friends. Kody enjoys getting involved politically in causes important to him, especially involving LGBTQIA+ rights.
BBA, Marketing & International Business, UW-Madison
Kody's favorite aspect of his job is the ability to access every part of entrepreneurship in Wisconsin. As the marketing and communications specialist for the Institute, he is able to touch and promote every part of the programming, from the high-tech CTC to food businesses in FFI and everything in-between with the SBDC. Helping to tell client stories in creative ways is meaningful to him.
Job Titles:
- Outreach Learning Manager
Lora enjoys business research and business writing; she has taught information studies topics at the undergraduate and graduate level. She has also facilitated career development and networking opportunities through volunteer work at the Special Libraries Association (SLA), an association for information professionals.
She is a collaborative person who enjoys brainstorming and sharing ideas. Lora values her coworkers' feedback and strives to make her individual work contribute to collective goals. She approaches her job with enthusiasm; a creative, growth mindset and a desire to learn with and from colleagues.
Learning something new is an important aspect of Lora's job. She loves to learn and share research findings in a way that helps people discover what influences their own work, provokes thoughts about how to best respond to these influences and inspires conversation that builds collaborative relationships. Most of all, she appreciates growing her own understanding as she assists others. She feels change is constant and it is important to be open to it and know what prompts it.
In general, she likes to help others reach their project or career goals. Their objectives or needs may vary, but she strives to provide solid data and helpful resources for good decision making. She finds it rewarding to save others time and contribute to their success by providing timely information.
In her free time, Lora especially likes to cook, garden, travel and write. She also likes trying new hobbies, especially outdoors. She recently discovered she enjoys snowshoeing and that her golf game needs some work! It's also fun for Lora to spend time with furry friends: she can often be found walking her dog or enjoying the (mostly) dignified company of her Siamese cats.
Master of Arts-Library and Information Studies, Northern Illinois University
Bachelor of Arts-English, UW-Stevens Point
Job Titles:
- Strategic Communications and Outreach Manager
Job Titles:
- Outreach Program Coordinator
- Outreach Program Coordinator - Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship
Stephanie's areas of expertise include writing, proofreading, event planning and organization. Others say of working with Stephanie that she always "gets things done with a smile." One of her favorite parts of the job is interviewing clients and then compiling the information to write their business success stories. Outside of work at the UW, Stephanie teaches yoga as well as college English courses. She loves to volunteer with local community theatre as well.
Master's - Written Communication
Bachelor's - Public Relations
Job Titles:
- Lead Economic Development Specialist
Job Titles:
- Outreach and Marketing Specialist / SBDC Project Officer