HUMAN ECOLOGY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Academic Program Specialist
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- Postdoctoral Research Associate She / Her / Hers
My critical, qualitative research focuses broadly on the relationship between K-12 education policy and practice, with a particular focus on how students, educators, and community members challenge and reproduce racism and injustice through their everyday practices. I have expertise in teachers, policy and practice, and school discipline, as well as care theories, critical race theories, and critical policy analysis.
Education
PhD, Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Assistant Dean & Career Services Director
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- Director of Strategic Communications
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- Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Studies Phyllis Northway Faculty Fellow He / Him / His
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- Academic Advising Team Lead
I advise students in the Textiles and Fashion Design, Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies, and Human Development and Family Studies majors, as well as the Textiles and Design Certificate. I also serve as the liaison for the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) visiting student program. I decided to work in higher education because I loved working at SOAR as an undergraduate, and I love working at SOAR now as a professional advisor!
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Child Development Lab
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- Research and Outreach Program Coordinator She / Her / Hers
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- Associate Director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies
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- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Innovation Kay Vaughan Innovation Fellow
- Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Innovation Kay Vaughan Innovation Fellow She / Her / Hers
I am interested in how chronic illness impacts families from an ecological perspective. My research focuses on adolescent and young adult chronic illness, and the transition adolescents undertake when they move from pediatric to adult-based care. I am passionate about understanding the barriers and gaps that exist for adolescents with chronic conditions, particularly relating to identity development and sense of self. In the long term, I aim to increase research-based materials for adolescents to use to navigate the healthcare system and the challenges that come with having a chronic illness. My passion is rooted in my own experiences as a member of the disabled community, and I aim to use my strengths as a researcher to create a lasting positive impact for this population.
I graduated from the University of Arkansas in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science. During my undergraduate career, I worked as a research assistant in the Adolescent to Adult Risk and Resilience Co-Op, led by Dr. Amanda Terrell and Dr. Jennifer Becnel. During this time, I completed my undergraduate honors thesis, titled "Parental Autonomy Granting and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Chronic Conditions." I also worked on studies involving learning disabilities, obesity, and adolescent media behavior using qualitative and quantitative methods. I have presented my work at the Southeastern Conference on Family Relations and the National Conference on Family Relations. I am currently advised by Dr. Kristin Litzelman, and I have been working on research relating to caregiving and family outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager for the Advising & Career Center
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- Assistant Teaching Professor, Consumer Science
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- Associate Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
Carol Sapoznik Dean's Advisory Board Member she/her/hers
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- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Well - Being ( EcoWell ) Professor Department Chair and Professor
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- Associate Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies
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- Collections Manager for the Center for Design and Material Culture and Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Director of Instructional Excellence She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Faculty, Consumer Science Director of the MORE ( Money Relationships Equality ) Initiative
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- Associate Teaching Professor, Human Development & Family Studies She / Her / Hers
As an associate teaching professor, I integrate my expertise in teaching, (clinical) practice, and applied research to enrich student learning. My scholarship examines social determinants of health and well-being for youth, families, college students, and communities. Specifically, I study equity-minded high-impact pedagogical practices and community-based research methods that empower individuals and communities to address social determinants of health and well-being.
In the classroom, I seek to support students' well-being through engaged learning practices that facilitate a sense of connectedness and belonging. Coalescing stakeholders from across campus, I facilitated a Teaching for Well-Being Taskforce and led the development of the Healthy Academics Toolkit, which was selected as a POD Network innovation award finalist. I received the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities for my excellence in teaching and learning and commitment to community-engaged teaching practices. I also was selected as a Morgridge Fellow with the Morgridge Center for Public Service and participated in the UW-Madison Discussion Project.
Trained as a psychologist, I support student mental health in an ecological context ranging from individual-level intervention to population-level approaches. Most recently, I worked at UW-Madison's University Health Services Prevention and Campus Health Initiatives, where I oversaw the Healthy Academics Initiative. In this capacity, I enjoyed building partnerships across campus to advance health-promoting policies and practices that support well-being in academic environments. I previously directed academic engagement initiatives, including first-year seminars, mentorship development programs, and academic support services; managed community-based research and evaluation projects focused on social determinants of health and well-being for youth and families; and worked as a mental health provider and mindfulness educator in both K-12 and higher education.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Development for the Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Professor in Money, Relationships & Equality ( MORE ) Department Chair and Professor of Consumer Science
Since receiving a PhD in human development and family studies from the Pennsylvania State University, I have held faculty and administrative positions at both Colorado State University (1978-2004) and Washington State University (2005-09). I joined the faculty in the School of Human Ecology in 2009, and I have an integrated appointment as a professor in the Human Development & Family Studies department and a specialist in aging for UW Cooperative Extension Family Living Programs. I am currently one of several faculty in the School of Human Ecology with an integrated Extension appointment.
Most of my research has been in the field of family gerontology, wherein I have studied the experiences of individuals and families as they cope with transitions and periods of stress during middle and later life. Recent research focuses on Hispanic families caring for older relatives and explores how cultural marginality, conflict, and religiosity affect the well-being of family caregivers. My research, teaching, and Extension work have been nationally recognized through the awarding of "fellow" status in the Gerontological Society of America, a 2005 distinguished teaching award from the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, and a 2013 Lifetime Extension Career Achievement Award from the Division of Family & Consumer Sciences, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Associate Dean for Finance and Administration
- Associate Dean for Finance and Administration He / Him / His
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- Creative Lead for the Master of Science in Design Innovation He / Him / His
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- Professor Emerit in Women, Family and Community
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Professor of Women and Philanthropy Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies
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- Photographer for the Center for Design and Material Culture and Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Graduate Student He / Him / His
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- Visiting Associate Professor of Consumer Science, Human Development & Family Studies He / Him / His
A true human ecologist, Dean Soyeon Shim holds three advanced degrees in Human Ecology, including a PhD from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. For more than three decades she has been a leader in higher education and research, including her own APLUS work on young adults' financial knowledge and well-being. Since taking the SoHE dean position in 2012, she has been a force on campus, launching numerous programs and initiatives for UW-Madison and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
After teaching for more than two years, I joined our family business, which was started by my grandfather in 1921. I worked there for more than 30 years, becoming CEO in 2004 after my father's retirement. We provided logistics and trucking expertise, delivering fresh dairy products for Dean Foods, primarily in the Midwest and across 48 states as needed. My Human Ecology degree provided a strong foundation for building and strengthening relationships with co-workers and customers.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Professor of Human Development & Family Studies Outreach Faculty Fellow for the Child Development Lab
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Assistant Director of the Kohl 's Center for Retailing She / Her / Hers
As the assistant director of the Kohl's Center for Retailing, I have the unique opportunity to work in a school that focuses on educating students to transform the consumer industry for the betterment of individuals, communities, and the planet. With an industry background in Merchandising, I have always had a passion for product, and how to best meet consumer needs to enhance the lives of all individuals. That is what drew me back to the School of Human Ecology - to develop and educate future generations on the basis of human-centered commerce.
Job Titles:
- Engagement Manager for Exhibitions and Programs She / Her / Hers
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
I am interested in making a tangible difference in the world: placing high value on listening to what communities are saying they need, doing the requisite research, disseminating knowledge as required, and always educating communities to make a positive and impactful difference. My areas of interest lie in health disparities, particularly along the cancer continuum; community organizing; social equity; and social justice. I invest time and talents in serving underserved communities, particularly communities of color, which have historically been systematically excluded from good quality health care and services and experience some of the highest rates of health disparities in the United States.
I am a current PhD student at UW-Madison's School of Human Ecology in the Civil Society & Community Research program. I am a 2009 Human Ecology graduate with a B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies with a certificate in Gender & Women's Studies, and a 2017 graduate with an M.S. in Human Ecology.
I have over 16 years of experience working with underserved communities, fostering programming and research in the fight against health disparities. For the last seven years I have been the project coordinator and community based researcher for the UW Carbone Cancer Center's Cancer Health Disparities Initiative. I lead outreach, education, and research initiatives with Black and other underserved communities within the catchment region. For just over a decade I have worked for the Witness Project of Madison in several capacities, the most recent of which is director of programming. The Witness Project is an evidence-based breast and cervical cancer prevention and screening program for African American women.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Design Studies
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Consumer Science She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of the Center for Financial Security
I am a PhD student in Design Studies. I received my bachelor's and master's degrees from Bilkent University, Turkey, from the Interior Architecture and Environmental Design department. My research interests include the relationship between the environment and behavior. My master's thesis was about place attachment and territoriality in design studios. I have presented my works at the EDRA and the International Conference of Environmental Psychology, at which I was awarded the "Best Presentation Award" by the Program Committee of ICEP.
My main goal is to combine design principles and research to create better built environments and experiences for people. My teaching and professional experiences taught me about the ways in which humans are affected by their surroundings in different ways. I have been a teaching assistant for technical drawing, lighting, and color application courses and taught design studio at the University of Minnesota. I have also worked on different types and sizes of projects. My experiences and vision for design and application led me to work on restorative workplaces for my dissertation and I hope to go beyond that in the future.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Media Specialist She / Her / Hers
I've known I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. What came later was a love of storytelling - using words to convey the importance and weight of something. This, along with a desire to incorporate public service, led me to studying journalism at the University of Missouri.
Reporting jobs have taken me from Columbia, MO; to North Dakota; to Brussels, Belgium; to the Twin Cities; and, most recently, to Cheyenne, WY. I've written about everything from the potential impact of anti-abortion legislation on a state to a mom taking up mountain biking to spread awareness of her son's rare condition. In all of these instances, my goal was to help everyday readers understand their community a little better, and, in turn, hopefully make their lives a little better.
I'm excited to bring my love of storytelling to the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and to help spotlight the work of its faculty.
Education
BA, Journalism, University of Missouri
Job Titles:
- Designer Web Administrator
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- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Chairman in Early Childhood Development Department Chair and Professor of Human Development & Family Studies Faculty Director of the Child Development Lab
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Academic Planning
Education
MSE, Higher Education Leadership, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
BLA, Arts Management and Graphic Design, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
My research centers on white children's racial identity development within contexts that resist racial oppression. Specifically, I am interested in: 1) decomposing dimensions of white identity that promote commitments to racial justice; 2) interrogating white children's perceptions of themselves as racialized actors; and 3) understanding children's role in their own racial socialization. I am also interested in the ways in which white children's racial socialization occurs across contexts (such as school and home) and how those contexts interact to inform racial consciousness and motivate behavior. As part of this research, I aim to further understand the development of a white identity committed to racial justice.
Job Titles:
- Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance Professor of Consumer Science
Job Titles:
- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
I have spent much of my career in technology companies, uncovering consumers' needs and bringing them to life in products and communications. My work has spanned across marketing, research, product management, customer success, sales and more. I've always focused on people and what they need to make their lives and work better, so I'm a human ecologist at heart!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Board
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- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Education Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Professor of Design Studies Kay Vaughan Faculty Fellow of Design Innovation
I teach in the Textile and Apparel Design Program in the area of textile design, and I'm an affiliate of the Art Department. My research is driven by my interest in pattern. Without a written word, pattern upon cloth can communicate much about its wearer, whether it be sex, age, ethnic identity, or status within a community. There is a cultural understanding of pattern. That understanding provides a framework or potential for a narrative. I encourage students to think of pattern as a powerful tool that goes far beyond enhancing a surface.
My studio practice involves creating site specific installations composed of patterns using hundreds of insects, placing them in arrangements that suggest wallpaper and textiles. ArtDaily described my exhibitions as some of the most provocative work most people have ever seen in an art museum setting, and as "one of the top contemporary installation artists in the country." I was one of nine contemporary artists selected for the landmark exhibition "Wonder" at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in 2015, which was viewed by half a million people. In 2013, Albert Whitman and Company, Chicago, published my first novel, In Search of Goliathus Hercules.
I am the faculty leader of the Global Artisans Initiative, which launched an interdisciplinary outreach program that connects students with artisans who have requested assistance with microenterprise development. The program leverages the relationships that the University of Wisconsin has built over many years at global health field course sites in Ecuador, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, and Vietnam to create a product design and marketplace system to support the economic wellbeing of local artisans.
Job Titles:
- Dean 's Advisory Board Chair She / Her / Hers
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- Associate Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies Jane Rafferty Thiele Faculty Fellow - Graduate Teaching She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Executive Director Emerit, Kohl 's Center for Retailing
Job Titles:
- Director of the Child Development Lab
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- Assistant Director of Career Services He / Him / His
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- Director of Academic Planning & Assessment
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- Graduate Student He / Him / His
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
I am a social psychologist interested in understanding groups processes and intergroup relations in both basic and applied settings. In particular, I study what motivates people to identify with groups, self-uncertainty, and identification's effects on behavior, cognition, performance, and health. I am especially interested in applying research findings to higher education, including classroom management, retention, student success, and pedagogy. I also examine groups processes' effects on health and in politics.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Consumer Science Division of Extension Faculty Liaison
Bartfeld, J., Berger, L., & Men, F. (2020). Universal access to free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision is associated with better attendance for low-income elementary school students in Wisconsin. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120(2), 210-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.07.022
Bartfeld, J., Berger, L., Men, F., & Chen, Y. (2019). Access to the School Breakfast Program is associated with higher attendance and test scores among elementary school students. Journal of Nutrition, 149(2), 336-343. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy267
I study the problems of hunger and food insecurity in the United States, including patterns, causes, consequences, and solutions, with a particular interest in the role of food assistance programs and policies. I also have an appointment with UW-Madison Division of Extension, where I work to make food security data and research available, understandable, and actionable to non-academics.
My work has generated significant investments to support local, state, and national research in the areas of food insecurity and food assistance programs. I also collaborate on grants that support my research on child support, child placement, and the economic well-being of divorced parents. Over the years, I have published numerous peer-reviewed articles as well as dozens of local and state policy reports on these topics. My past leadership of the RIDGE program helped to cultivate a nationwide network of junior scholars in the food security area, and was recognized with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary's Honor Award
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Department Chair and Professor of Design Studies Faculty Director of the Design Thinking Program Interior Architecture Program Coordinator
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- Future Leaders Awardee & Future Leaders Society Advisory Board Member, Association of American Colleges & Universities
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- Communications and Content Specialist
I am Rothermel-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I founded and directed for 25 years the Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars, a series of presentations, briefing reports, and discussion sessions that communicate rigorous, nonpartisan research to state policymakers. From 1999-2014, I directed the Family Impact Institute, which provided training and technical assistance to about two dozen states that conducted over 225 Family Impact Seminars. I am the author of two books: Family Policy Matters (4th edition forthcoming) and Evidence-Based Policymaking (2nd edition). I have conducted numerous national trainings for researchers interested in working with policymakers and was named the winner of the 2021 Wiley Prize for my research. I am a fellow of the National Council on Family Relations and received the Engagement Award from the Board of Human Sciences of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. I recently served on a National Academy of Science Round Table on the communication and application of social and behavioral science research.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies She / Her / Hers
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- Financial Specialist She / They / Theirs
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- Associate Professor of Consumer Science
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- Professor Associate Professor of Design Studies
I advise students in the Community and Nonprofit Leadership, Human Development and Family Studies, Interior Architecture, and Personal Finance majors. I'm a graduate myself from the School of Human Ecology with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. I love hearing from students about their experiences and about the connections they are making between what they learn in the classroom and how to apply it in the real world.
Job Titles:
- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
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- Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies She / Her / Hers
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- HR Coordinator He / She / They
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- Chairman in Child and Family Well - Being Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
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- Executive Director of the Kohl 's Center for Retailing Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships She / Her / Hers
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- Operations Manager for the Center for Design and Material Culture
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Research Jane Rafferty Thiele Professor in Human Ecology Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
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- IT Support Specialist She / Her / Hers
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
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- Consumer Science Program Director of Consumer Finance and Financial Planning
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- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Associate Dean of Advancement & Communications
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- Instructor and Teaching Administrator of Personal Finance
I am driven by a passion for creativity and curiosity to understand experiences that facilitate adult learning and promote capacity-building.
For more than 25 years, I have developed educational programs and conducted research and evaluation in the fields of medicine, public health, and higher education. I currently conduct community-based evaluation research in the context of food insecurity and food systems. I work closely with community and nonprofit organizations to evaluate and improve their services, programming, and delivery with the aim of greater equity and social justice.
As an evaluation specialist for the Division of Extension, my work centers on evaluation capacity building. I also draw from my Extension colleagues' local expertise and community relationships when conducting my work with Wisconsin's communities.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Consumer Science She / Her / Hers
I am a fellow at the Institute for Research on Poverty and the assistant director of the Behavioral Research Insights Through Experiments (BRITE) Lab. I use lab and field experiments and big data to study the effect of inattention, fatigue, and hunger on economic decision-making.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Studies She / Her / Hers
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- Professor Associate Professor of Design Studies Kohl 's Center Innovation Faculty Fellow She / Her / Hers
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- Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture & Design Professor of Design Studies
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- Digital Fabrication Laboratory Manager
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- Associate Director of Development for the Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
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- Executive Director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies
Job Titles:
- Professor of Design Studies
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- Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies He / Him / His
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- Assistant Professor of Consumer Science She / Her / Hers
I am an assistant professor of Consumer Science studying consumer finance and financial well-being. My research is motivated by a desire to understand the causes and consequences of socioeconomic and financial inequality, particularly in the American context. For this work, I bring a sociological perspective informed by law, economics, and geography to examine a range of topics. Recent research topics include financial security among young adults and consumer access to financial services in communities.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies, Consumer Science She / Her / Hers
I study the intersection of consumer behavior, public policy, and well-being, investigating topics such as food access, health and wellness, sustainability, nonprofit marketing, and social innovation. As a member of the Transformative Consumer Research community, I often lead teams of researchers who collaborate with community stakeholders to study efforts to create positive societal impact and grassroots social change. My work seeks to leverage science to empower consumers and organizations to make choices that advance the well-being of individuals and the communities in which they live and work.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Consumer Science
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- Graduate Student He / They
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- Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs
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- Operations Coordinator for the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies
Following my graduate studies at Columbia University, I moved back to my home country, Kuwait, where I worked as a mental health counselor at a nonprofit organization. Here at the School of Human Ecology, my broad research goals are in promoting psychosocial well-being in underserved communities through multi-level, prevention-based interventions and mental health policies. One of my main interests is in understanding the experiences and needs of family caregivers of individuals with chronic or life-limiting illnesses to inform healthcare policies and improve their quality of life.
Job Titles:
- Teaching Professor, Consumer Science Academic Director of the Kohl 's Center for Retailing
Job Titles:
- Member of the Academic Leadership Team
- Chairman in Retail Innovation Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Professor of Consumer Science
- Chairman in Retail Innovation Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Professor of Consumer Science She / Her / Hers
Nancy Wong Kohl's Chair in Retail Innovation | Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs | Professor of Consumer Science she/her/hers
I am a first-generation, immigrant scholar pursuing a Master of Science in Human Ecology. I am interested in the prioritization of mental and emotional wellness within education and work environments. More specifically, I want to work directly with youth and young adults navigating these established systems in order to teach them to prioritize, demand, and create healthy boundaries and expectations. Understanding that this society's youth are the next generation of leaders, innovators, and policymakers, I hope to learn the best practices to model to young professionals so they are encouraged to create the next generation of jobs with human well-being as a core value.
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts: Radio, Television, & Film and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am a graduate of both the Information Technology Academy (ITA) and PEOPLE program. Throughout my undergrad, I worked at ITA as a technology instructor, which led to my passion for working with youth and young adults navigating their futures. I currently work for Software Training for Students (STS), a free UW-Madison service that helps students become more technologically literate, where i supervise about 20 student trainers. I intend to directly apply the knowledge and insight I gain from my MS program to the work practices and culture fostered at STS.
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Graduate Student They / Them / Theirs
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- Senior Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Student Services
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
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- Digital Content Strategist She / Her / Hers
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Vice Chair She / Her / Hers
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- Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
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- Life Cycle Professor Emerit
I have published extensively in women's history, the history of medicine and nursing, and the history of nutrition. Among my eight books are Perfect Motherhood: Science and Childrearing in America (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006) and Vitamania: Vitamins in American Culture (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1996) which received the Kremers Award, 1998, from the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. I have lectured extensively both in the United States and internationally. I am the recipient of grants and awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Wellcome Trust.
In 2011 I received the Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Exemplary Historical Research and Writing, from the American Association for the History of Nursing, and in 2018 I received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of the History of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Professor Professor of Human Development & Family Studies He / Him / His
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- Senior Academic Faculty and Administrator He / Him / His
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- Associate Professor of Design Studies Executive Director of the Center for Design and Material Culture
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
I am interested in the development of social and emotional skills in early childhood, particularly how these skills are affected by early childhood intervention programs (e.g., Early Head Start home visiting), parenting behaviors, and other environmental factors such as socioeconomic status. My research aims to address inequity by studying the effectiveness of early childhood intervention programs in promoting positive parenting behaviors and children's social-emotional competence. I hope to continue in research in this field with the goal of improving these programs over time so that they can better support children and families who face socioeconomic disadvantages.
In 2018, I received my BS in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University. During my time there, I was a research assistant in the SEARCH Research Lab where I examined the effectiveness of a 10-week parent education program under supervision of Dr. Bridget Hatfield.
After graduating, I worked as an Early Head Start Home Visitor through Community Action Organization. I gained valuable insight about how children and families are best supported through home visiting services. However, I also learned there was a gap between the research on evidence-based practices and the actual implementation of such practices. This encouraged me to become a researcher, to help mend that gap and make early childhood intervention programs as beneficial as possible for the children and families enrolled.
In 2022, I received my MS in Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For my master's thesis, I used audio-recorded home visit data from the "Promoting Self-Regulation Skills and Healthy Eating Habits in Early Head Start" intervention project under supervision of Dr. Robert Nix to examine which therapeutic mechanisms mediated the relationship between family intervention status and study outcomes. I continue to utilize data collected from this project for my dissertation, which is tentatively titled, "Understanding Quality in Early Head Start Home Visits: Effects of the Recipe 4 Success Preventive Intervention."
In addition to my own research, I am currently the Early Care and Education project assistant within the Family Engagement and Relationships program at the UW-Madison Division of Extension, under supervision of Dr. Lindsay Weymouth. Previously, I held the position of the Leola Culver Graduate Fellow in Early Childhood Development at the School of Human Ecology's Child Development Lab. I also assist in the Pandemic Parenting Study, exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parent and child outcomes under supervision of Dr. Margaret Kerr.
I worked as a teaching assistant for HDFS 662: Advanced Study of the Young Child from 2021-2022 and for HDFS 650: Parent Education and Support Programs from 2020-2021.
Job Titles:
- Internship and Employer Relations Manager She / Her / Hers
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- Professor of Women, Family and Community Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
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- Textile Specialist and Research Director for the Center for Design and Material Culture She / Her / Hers
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member She / Her / Hers
After graduation, I started my dream job as a buyer for Dayton's Department stores. I thoroughly enjoyed a twenty-year career in the ever-changing world of department store retailing maneuvering through mergers, the beginning of the technology age, and changes in consumer behavior. After leaving retail, I had the pleasure of working on the other side of the desk in wholesale sales, which eventually took me to my career at Department 56. This final step in my career put me in a variety of leadership roles, ultimately becoming President. At every step of the way, I called upon my experience with the School of Human Ecology, building on the fundamentals of human ecology to achieve a life of continuous learning and development.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Leadership Team
- Senior Chief of Staff
My first swing through the School of Human Ecology was when it was named Family Resources and Consumer Science. At that time, I had an opportunity to use my data background to do statistical programming for faculty with the most interesting projects. What struck me then was how the research translated so seamlessly to purpose and application in the larger world. While living in Minnesota for 16 years, I served as an elected school board member for 11 years and made a run for the Minnesota House. While my run may have been unsuccessful, my passion to find solutions to problems faced by people every day did not subside. Upon my return to Madison, I found my old stomping grounds with a new name and undergoing a facility transformation. What had not changed were people with a passion to do research that can be seamlessly translated to find solutions to problems faced by people every day. I re-signed.
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- Business Affairs Financial Manager
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- Dean 's Advisory Board Member He / Him / His
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- Academic Director for the Master of Science in Design Innovation
I am interested in the relationship between the material environment and the people who produce it, inhabit it, and give meaning to it. This has led to work as varied as study of the mass produced furniture of Frank Lloyd Wright within the larger context of furniture design to study of contemporary studio art furniture, which I am involved with at present.
In the recent past my work has focused on Frank Lloyd Wright, as a guest scholar and lecturer at both Taliesin West and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio.
I have served on the Wisconsin Historic Preservation Review Board, Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, and consulted on the restoration of projects.
I believe that program evaluation is more than just an accountability tool. As a former Escalera youth program coordinator, for me, evaluation is a vehicle for participation and a way for students and staff to communicate their experiences to the public.
Job Titles:
- Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Emerit
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- Graduate Student She / Her / Hers
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Consumer Science