School of Business Gazette

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Rebecca Smith, outreach specialist, has assumed some new responsibilities with the Office of Marketing and Communications and will serve as the public relations director for the School of Business on an interim basis. She is replacing Helen Capellaro, who retired in January after 15 years of service. Over the past four years, Smith has served as assistant director and associate director of alumni relations. In her new role, she will manage media relations and develop and implement communications and marketing strategies for the School of Business. She has a master’s degree in strategic communication from UW-Madison.

Steve Schroeder, formerly the acting director of the Business Career Center (BCC), has accepted the position of director of career planning and placement of the BCC. He holds a BA and MS from UW-Madison. Prior to his employment with the BCC, he served as director for the Wisconsin Union Outdoor Program Office.

Suzy Pursell of the MBA Program Office has been named assistant director of MBA marketing and recruiting and expanded her role in marketing and recruiting for the Wisconsin MBA.

Julie Gray, payroll and benefits specialist 3, joined the Financial Management Office in January.  A UW-Platteville graduate with a Bachelor of Science, she has held various administrative positions at UW-Madison since 1999, before which she worked for Pleasant Company in Middleton. She owns her own business, Remember Me, which supplies retail needlework shops across the country with painted frames. She replaces Shantara Glenn.

Gerry George, associate professor, Management and Human Resources department, will be on leave from January 2006 through December 2006.

Min Shi, assistant professor, Finance department, had her last day of employment at the School of Business Dec. 15.

Bill Kelly, senior scientist, Center for Credit Union Research, ended his employment with the School of Business Dec. 30.

Brian Mayhew has been named to the editorial board of Accounting Horizons.

Ann Kinkade, director of the Family Business Center director, has been appointed to In Business magazine’s advisory board for the first half of 2006.

Binnu Palta Hill, student services coordinator, began employment in the A. C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research Jan. 16 as its assistant director. A UW-Madison alumna, she holds a BA in French with a business certificate and has completed graduate coursework in French literature. She completed a certificate of Excellence in Marketing Skills from UW-Madison’s Executive Education program and attended University of Georgia’s Advanced School of Marketing Research. Prior to joining the Nielsen Center, she managed the UW-PEOPLE program and worked as a market research manager for UW Learning Innovations. She replaces Janet Christopher, who continues to work for the Weinert Center.

Carol Aspinwall, assistant director of the Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management, has joined Wingra Speakers Toastmaster's group and won two awards for best spontaneous impromptu speeches and best speech for the first requirement towards her Certified Toastmasters designation. She was interviewed for the article “Tapping into the Value of Professional Association Membership” that appeared in the January 20, 2006 National Association of Colleges and Employers Spotlight online newsletter.

Sandra Stark, senior lecturer, Business Communications, will retire May 21 after 26 years of service with the School of Business. An  avid birder and published poet, she reports she has two primary retirement plans  to: “follow the great Texas birding trail” and to publish more poetry.

Robert Wargolet accepted an associate information processing consultant position in Executive Education, based in the Fluno Center, in December. He previously worked in Grainger Hall’s Technology Support Center. He holds a BS in computer science and mathematics from UW-Madison.

Colleen Barrett, senior marketing specialist with Executive Education, has accepted a new position outside the School of Business.  Her last day at the School of Business was  Jan. 31.

Donell Schetter joined the Management and Human Resources Department as a program assistant in December. She previously worked at the UW Survey Center and has a B.S. in Agriculture from the UW-River Falls campus, and a programmer/analyst associate degree from MATC, along with an Internet Development Certificate from that program.