Twenty-four staff in a variety of full- and part-time positions are the people who keep the School of Art (SoA) running. Only one of those jobs—Administrative Services Coordinator—is currently vacant, but a new person will be hired shortly. Years of service in the SoA vary widely. Some staff have been here over two decades (Judith Clark has been here the longest), while others started work in the last year (Starla Patenaude is our most recent addition).
When asked what they like best about working in the SoA, nearly every person said it was the people: students, faculty, and fellow staff members. Several also mentioned how much they like being able to share their knowledge and have an impact. The dynamic energy of our environment is what makes many staff stay year after year. At a recent all-staff retreat, everyone agreed on a mission statement: The School of Art staff develops and facilitates discovery, learning, and the pursuit of innovation through our combined expertise, research, and collaboration.
Below is an alphabetical list of all the current staff (as of February 2013) with a little information about what each person does, which will give you a sense of the breadth of tasks necessary to keep an organization of our size going. Following each person’s name is the month and year they began working here. Next time you see one of these people in the hallway, thank them for their service to the SoA as well as the UW.
Photos of staff are in the main hallway of the Art Building between rooms 102 and 104 as well as on the staff page of the SoA website.
Kris Anderson (October 2009; started in similar student position, January 2008)
Manager, Jacob Lawrence Gallery
He manages operations of the gallery (also known as The Jake) and exhibitions as well as overseeing the art collection owned by the SoA. Supervision of student staff and interns is part of his job.
Wilma Boyd (February 2011; started in a similar temp position, July 2010)
Budget/Fiscal Analyst
She coordinates payroll for hourly staff and supports travel, purchasing, and other fiscal transactions.
Judith Clark (June 1990)
Director, Academic Advising and Student Services
Her primary role is to work with students to develop academic goals and connect them with the appropriate classes, faculty, and resources in order to complete a strong degree and plan for future careers. She works closely with faculty, staff, and students to develop and oversee curriculum plus create new initiatives.
Elizabeth Copland (August 2012)
Academic Adviser
Her principal role is to work with students to develop academic goals and connect them with the appropriate classes, faculty, and resources in order to complete a strong degree and plan for future careers. She is the primary adviser for freshmen and transfer student orientation as well as curriculum development for the Art Division.
Debra Cox (August 1990)
Image Librarian, Visual Services
She supports curricular needs by creating and cataloging images that go into the SoA installation of the Madison Digital Image Database (soaMDID).
Ashley Ferrell (February 2012)
Assistant to the Director
She works with the Director and Associate Director as well as supporting faculty and visiting lecturers, plus she coordinates payroll for faculty, salaried staff, and graduate student appointments.
Sharon Frucci (September 2008)
Administrator
She oversees budgets, facilities, and staff human resources management. She also is the primary contact for grant/contract proposals and budget/fiscal reporting.
Kath Gold (October 2011)
Program Assistant, Academic Advising and Student Services
She and her colleague, Catherine Ruha, are the primary points of contact for the SoA, answering phone calls, emails, and in-person questions. They also manage locker rentals, building access via Husky Cards, and other details for the Advising Office.
Dan Howe (October 2001)
Instructional Technician – 3D4M|Sculpture
He supports the students and faculty who use the sculpture facilities at the CMA. This includes safety demonstrations, equipment installation and maintenance, and procuring supplies.
Ann Langford-Fuchs (August 2012)
Academic Adviser
Her principal role is to work with students to develop academic goals and connect them with the appropriate classes, faculty, and resources in order to complete a strong degree and plan for future careers. She is the primary adviser for graduate students and the SoA study abroad programs.
Doug Manelski (September 2006)
Program Support Supervisor
He provides IT support to faculty and staff, and he also teaches workshops on photographing student work, digital workflow, and printing.
John Martin (September 2001)
Instructional Technician – Woodshop
He monitors and maintains the Woodshop and instructs students in the proper and safe use of the equipment there as well as consulting on individual projects. He is also the Art Building facility manager.
Jeanette Mills (January 1991)
Director of Visual Services + News|Event|Social Media Editor
She oversees the Image Library (SoAIL) and Instructional Resource Room (SoAIRR), managing staff and budgets. In addition, she creates the SoA newsletters, writes news and event items for the SoA website, and posts on the SoA Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Sean O’Neill (March 2012)
Instructional Technician – 3D4M|Glass
He supports the students and faculty who use the SoA glass facilities. This includes safety demonstrations, equipment installation and maintenance, and procuring supplies.
Taylor Newman (December 2012)
Instructional Technician – Industrial Design
He operates and maintains the equipment in the ID Advanced Concepts Lab as well as ordering supplies and training students to use the equipment.
Starla Patenaude (January 2013)
Constituency Relations Officer
She coordinates major SoA events, supports fundraising efforts, and provides assistance to the SoA Advisory Board. She will be taking over event and social media posting.
Kate Ratcliffe (June 2011; started in similar student position, July 2010)
SoAIRR Manager, Visual Services
She supervises the students who do the digital image processing for curricular needs, she manages electronic image reserves (eRes) each quarter, and she oversees the circulating audiovisual equipment.
Mark Rector (April 1996)
Director of IT
He manages computing resources in all SoA facilities and provides support for servers, networking, and purchasing of hardware/software as well as overseeing the computer labs.
Catherine Ruha (June 2012)
Program Assistant, Academic Advising and Student Services
She and her colleague, Kath Gold, are the primary points of contact for the SoA, answering phone calls, emails, and in-person questions. They also manage locker rentals, building access via Husky Cards, and other details for the Advising Office.
John Arnold Taylor (July 2006)
Instructional Technician – 3D4M|Ceramics
He supports the students and faculty who use the SoA ceramics facilities. He also oversees program budgets and is the CMA building manager.
Laura Todd (May 2002)
Academic Adviser
Her principal role is to work with students to develop academic goals and connect them with the appropriate classes, faculty, and resources in order to complete a strong degree and plan for future careers. She is the primary adviser for all SoA and UW scholarships, plus she is the communications specialist for Advising.
Michael Van Horn (August 1991)
Instructional Technician – Photomedia
He manages facilities and equipment for his program as well as the students who staff the labs. He also oversees program budgets and trains/supports students in using equipment.
Kim Van Someren (September 2009; started in similar temp position, June 2009)
Instructional Technician – Printmaking, Fibers, Painting + Drawing, IVA
She supports students and faculty by advising on health and safety, providing technical demonstrations, and procuring supplies. She also prepares and maintains equipment as well as overseeing program budgets.