Committee

Dr. Debbie Ford, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, is a strong believer in community engagement and building partnerships. In addition to her responsibilities leading one of the most vibrant and diverse learning communities in the UW System, Dr. Ford serves as a board member for community and economic-development organizations throughout southeastern Wisconsin, including Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Racine County Workforce Development Board, the Milwaukee 7, the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast Board of Directors, and the Froedtert Health Board of Directors.  Nationally, Dr. Ford is a member of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Board and recently completed a term on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council.  Dr. Ford holds her B.S. from the University of Louisville, her Master of Education from Indiana University, and her Doctor of Education from the University of Louisville. 

Denise Anastasio is a native of Racine and graduated with an English degree from UW-Parkside in 1974. She earned a post-baccalaureate certificate in Health Information Administration from Seattle University in 1975 and a Master’s in Public Administration from UW-Parkside in 1989. In 2005 she earned a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University, Chicago. 

Denise was employed ten years at St. Mary’s Medical Center (now Ascension), leaving as the Director of the Health Information Department. Denise then joined the College of Lake County in Illinois at 1985 as a faculty member and later department chair. In 2004 she became the Dean of Biological and Health Sciences, retiring from that position in 2012. Dr. Anastasio developed several new health programs at the College, oversaw program accreditation for the health programs, and managed a division with more than 40 full-time faculty and over 100 part-time faculty, including biology, chemistry, horticulture and all of the health programs. She also won two teaching awards and served as the president of the Illinois Community College Faculty Association. 

Since her retirement, Denise has been active in the community. She recently completed a term as the president of the Racine branch of the American Association of University Women, is a coordinator of a Master Gardener project, a Big Sister (through Big Sisters of Greater Racine), a poll worker, and on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council of the Racine Unified School District. 

Denise has been married for 44 years to Patrick Sarto and has two children and three grandchildren. 

Jeanette is a passionate advocate for youth in our community. Jeanette’s dedication to empower girls and young women led her found Girls Inc. of SE Wisconsin in 2007. Girls Inc. is a national nonprofit agency inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold through direct service and advocacy. Jeanette is committed to increasing literacy rates, self worth, and economic independence for girls throughout Southeast Wisconsin. Jeanette has a BS in Criminal Justice from Upper Iowa University and a MPA with an emphasis in nonprofit management from UW-Milwaukee. Jeanette also serves as the Executive Director for SAFE Haven of Racine, a homeless youth shelter. Jeanette Brown holds many leadership positions within the community and serves on various boards including the Racine County Food Bank and Fight to End Exploitation (FEE). In her free time, Jeanette enjoys adventures with her amazing children. 

Jomarie was raised in the south side of Milwaukee, a graduate of Milwaukee Public Schools and a first generation graduate from UW-Milwaukee with her bachelor’s in Community Engagement and Education. She continued her education onto her Master's degree in Cultural Foundation of Education with a focus on social justice, educational policy and underrepresented students in higher education. Her interest areas include social justice, public policy, social work, immigration, social systems and education. Jomarie serves the community of Racine through volunteering and board membership in areas of equity, inclusion and social justice such as Visioning a Greater Racine. In addition, she was the recipient of the 2016 YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Women of Distinction Corrine Reid Owens Racial Justice Award. Currently, she serves as Multicultural Support Specialist at Gateway Technical College. 

Rosalie Daca has a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Florida State University, an M.S. in Mathematics education from the University of South Florida and an M.Ed. from the University of South Florida. She is currently working on her PhD from Cardinal Stritch University. Her career in education spans 33 years. Sixteen of these as a secondary mathematics teacher and 17 as an administrator. She is currently the Chief Academic Officer for the Racine Unified School District. Present volunteer activities include; United Way Schools of Hope tutor, United Way VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), Schools of Hope Leadership Council (co-chair), Girls Inc Board member, Girls Inc Board member, GEMS (Girls Empowered by Math and Science) steering committee. Professional memberships include; AASA (Superintendent’s organization), AASA Early Learning Cohort and Women in Leadership Cohort and ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). 

Rosalie is married to Dennis and is the proud parent of one son, Hayden (17 years old). 

Dr. Sheronda Glass has been the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Employee Engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside since June of 2016. As assistant vice chancellor, she is responsible for guiding and directing the human resources function for the organization. She is a human resources executive with over 20 years of experience having worked in a variety of industries, including healthcare, consumer products/manufacturing, and most recently, K-12 education. She has extensive experience in the areas of conflict resolution, performance management, labor relations, and diversity management. She has also worked as a consultant for over six years, consulting in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. She is a certified trainer/facilitator in the areas of conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, performance management, and cultural competency. She has received recognition for her work in the areas of diversity and inclusion. 

Sheronda received her Ph.D. in Organizational Management and Human Resources from Capella University. She has taught human resources courses at UW-Parkside, including Performance Management, Staffing Organization, and currently teaches Essential Skills for Project Management and Introduction to Human Resources Management. She has also achieved the Professional in Human Resources certification awarded from the Society for Human Resources Management and the HR Certification Institute. She is a facilitator for the prep course for SHRM professional certifications and SHRM Essentials for non-HR managers. She is also the recipient of the 2018 Milwaukee Business Journal HR Award and the UW System 2019 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award. 

Zina Haywood, Executive Vice President/Provost, Gateway Technical College, has over 35years of experience in Higher Education Administration from working at The University of Michigan, Oakland University, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Gateway Technical College.   

As Gateway’s Executive Vice President/Provost, Zina is chief academic officer, responsible for the 70+ academic programs, the college libraries, day to day operations of the 3 campuses and the Institutional Effectiveness and Student Support Services Division which includes Research and Planning, Curriculum, Grant Management, Staff Professional Development and Student Support Services including tutoring, multicultural, and disability support services. 

Ms. Haywood has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Oakland University. She plans to complete her doctorate from Cardinal Stritch University 2020. 

Zina has received numerous awards and recognition. Most recently, she is immediate past president of Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership (WWHEL) which is an affiliate of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) women’s network. In March 2016 Zina received the Susan B. Anthony Woman of Influence Award from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Tempo International of Kenosha. In October 2017 she was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award from the WWHEL organization.   

This is Zina’s 25th year of service to Gateway Technical College, and her 13th year as Executive Vice President/Provost. She has been married for 34 years to her husband Todd Haywood, a 12th grade English teacher at Bradford High School in Kenosha. She has two grown children David and Julia, and one grandson Caleb. 

Peggy James is the Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies and a Professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Law at the University of Wisconsin- Parkside.  A long- time resident of Racine, she is committed to individual and institutional citizenship on the local national and global level, and has based her career on the belief that knowledge brings with it social responsibility. In practice, she has led international place based experiences to Mexico, and domestic engagement experiences to Standing Rock and the Red Cliff Indian Reservation.  Recent publications and presentations have centered on diversity and engagement; recent work has shifted to the impact of smart city developments on equity and inclusivity.  She has received numerous teaching awards, and most recently received the UW Parkside Diversity Award in 2018. Her board membership includes the United Way of Racine County, the local chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, and Schools for Chiapas. She holds a BA in Political Science and Spanish from Marquette University, an MA from Marquette University, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

Cindi (Cynthia) Larsen has a BS in Pre & Early Adolescent Education from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. She taught English in the New Berlin Public School District and English and American history in the Racine Unified School District. Upon retirement, Cindi served as the RUSD District Coordinator of Gifted and Talented and AP in a part time position. Her present volunteer activities include current president of the Racine branch of American Association University Women, board member of Girls Inc. of Southeast Wisconsin, Inc., GEMS (Girls Empowered by Math and Science) steering committee, food pantry volunteer, poll worker, Blue and Gold Information Officer for the United States Naval Academy, and mentor for 3rd grade student. 

Cindi is married to Loren Larsen and is the proud parent of two sons with five grandchildren. 

Pamela Larson is the Positive Youth Development Extension Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension, Racine County. She is a former middle school language arts teacher, high school Associate Principal, elementary and middle school Principal, and District Administrator. Pamela earned her Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education at Arizona State University and her Masters of Education at the University of Mississippi. Her passion is ensuring that all students thrive academically, emotionally and physically in a safe learning environment.

In her role as the Positive Youth Development Extension Educator, Pamela supports positive development of youth in their family and community environments by leading initiatives and collaborating with organizations and coalitions focused on county needs. In addition, she collaborates with community organizations to address the needs that affect youth and their families, such as youth leadership, cultural competency, civic engagement, academic achievement, and pathways to workforce readiness. Pamela embraces the purpose of University of Wisconsin-Madison, Extension, “We teach, learn, lead and serve, connecting people with the University of Wisconsin, and engaging them in transforming lives and communities.”

Dr. Catherine R. Lau just completed her seventh year teaching finance and economics at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, where she chairs the Department of Accounting and Finance. At Carthage, Cassie is a member of the Academic Senate and serves as the Faculty Athletic Representative.In the community, she is involved in promoting financial literacy and is a member of the Kenosha Public Library Foundation Board. Before turning to academia, Cassie held various positions in financial services firms on Wall Street where she was responsible for both credit analysis, business origination, and organizational management and planning.

Prof. Lau earned her Ph.D. in economics from the City University of New York Graduate Center in June 2012. She also holds an M.Phil. in economics from the City University of New York Graduate Center and an M.B.A. in finance from New York University.

Stacey Malacara is a native of Racine. She is a University of Wisconsin - Parkside alumni that graduated with a degree in Communication. She is currently working on a Masters Degree in Special Education through the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.   

Stacey has worked at Gateway Technical College for the past 17 years, working 15 of those years in the Student Services Department and then moving into the Learning Success Department. She has currently transitioned into the TRIO (TAG) Program Coordinator position at Gateway while continuing her TAG-Transfer/Vocational Coach duties as well. Stacey is a proud TRiO Student Support Services alumni from UW-Parkside, and is VERY happy to be part of/reconnected with her TRiO family once again. Stacey’s “Batman” job (night job) is adjunct teaching in the GED/HSED program at Gateway in the evenings.  

Stacey enjoys giving back to her community through Gateway, while also serving as a United Way of Racine County Board Member. Not only will you see Stacey volunteering at community events, but you will probably see her husband and two children along for the ride as well. 

Colleen O’Brien is Assistant Professor of Marketing and Management at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. She is a former business executive with experience developing and leading strategic, human capital, and financial initiatives. Her career includes more than 22 years in corporate finance with SC Johnson and IIT Research Institute (Chicago). She began her academic career 11 years ago as an adjunct at UW-Parkside. Dr. O’Brien joined Carthage College full-time in 2009. A Wisconsin native, she earned her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business in finance and marketing and recently earned her Doctorate in Business Administration – Management at UW-Whitewater (2018). Her experiences in the workplace motivate her research interests and include emotional intelligence, personality, work behaviors, and teamwork. Dr. O’Brien currently serves as a Senator on the Carthage College Academic Senate and is on the Board of Directors for Velocity Consulting, a student run consulting organization at Carthage.  

Rebecca was raised in Racine County and a graduate of Racine Unified School District’s The REAL School. Rebecca is a first-generation graduate from UW-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Social Work. She is currently working on a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in policy and applied politics from American University. Some of her interests include women’s rights, gender wage equity, women in STEM, LGBTQIA+ rights, criminal justice reform, climate change, green energy and education. Rebecca serves the community through her work and volunteering. Rebecca has worked with Girls Inc. of Southeast Wisconsin for over 5 years. Girls Inc. equips girls with the skills to navigate through economic, gender, and social barriers and to grow up as independent individuals. Rebecca is also a member of the steering committee for The GEMS (Girls Empowered by Math and Science). In addition, she was a keynote speaker for the 2019 RUSD Institute Day. In her free time Rebecca enjoys traveling, swimming and spending time with her husband Purna.  

Dr. Rivera teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in applied business analytics and performs outreach through the Analytics and Business Intelligence Consortium (ABIC), which is spearheaded by Carroll’s School of Business. Dr. Rivera is an international leader in the undergraduate research movement and is emeritus president of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), where he was president and served on its executive board. He has worked in three National Science Foundation grant programs to expand undergraduate research opportunities for students, and also serves as a consultant to government, business and higher education. Dr. Rivera is also an Adjunct Faculty for Management and Marketing / Professor of Management and Marketing, Geospatial Science at Carthage College.

Laura Schulz earned her BS in Geosciences from UW-Parkside and her Masters in Soil Science from UW-Madison. Laura has served as the director of the Root River Environmental Education Community Center (REC) in Racine since 2016 and is a Lecturer in the Environmental Studies program at UW-Parkside. She serves on the board for the Southeast Gateway Group Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Root River Council, and the Root Pike Watershed Initiative Network. She is also the Water Sampling Manager for the Great Water Alliance and UW-Parkside’s liaison for the GEMS (Girls Empowered by Math and Science) conference. Previously, she has worked in research labs focusing on soil fertility, manure management, wastewater nutrient recovery and upcycling, and biofuels. In her free time, Laura likes to swim, hike, kayak, read, and hang out with her pet guinea pig, Larry.  

Kim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, graduating with a degree in psychology specialized in public relations and public information. She did post-baccalaureate studies at Humboldt State University majoring in graphic design. It was also at Humboldt that Kim began her career in higher education, working in alumni relations.  

Before working in higher education, Kim worked for the Girl Scouts for eight years — helping girls grow strong!

In addition to her work, Kim enjoys experiencing travel, theatre, and the great outdoors with her husband Jody and their daughter Jane. 

Stephanie was born and raised in Racine and attended Park High School. She graduated from UW-Parkside with a BA in Communication and holds a MA in Business Communication: Leadership and Influence. Stephanie is currently the Vice President for Community and Government Relations at Gateway Technical College where she has been employed for 20 years.  In this position she is responsible for a variety of areas including the Gateway Technical College foundation, WGTD radio station, community engagement, public relations/marketing, government relations, sustainability and developing the “Gateway Experience” on the campuses.  

Stephanie and her husband, Chris, own Art Metals Studio in downtown Racine and have been downtown business owners for the past 15 years.   

Stephanie loves the communities in Southeastern Wisconsin and feels strongly about giving back whether that is serving on boards and advisory committees or mentoring youth and adults. 

She has received the Outstanding Community Service award from Gateway Technical College, the Career and Technical Education Leader award from the Gateway Association of Career and Technical Education, UW-Parkside Distinguished Alumni Award, along with the Wisconsin Alumni Excellence award from DECA and has been recognized as a leader on the topic of women and leadership. 

Robin R. Smerchek is a resident of Racine County educated in Racine Unified School District and graduated from Horlick. She graduated from UW-Parkside with B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Applied Science and Technology and completed an EMBA from UW-Milwaukee. 

Robin joined We Energies in as a mechanical engineer.  After 39 years she retired in 2013 as director of Power Generation Support which included leadership and guidance of Engineering, Employee Development, Health and Safety, and work management processes across a fleet of power generation facilities.   

She currently serves as a Management Consultant working with clients in Southeastern Wisconsin in developing strategic plans and implementation initiatives for leadership development and cultural change management for organizations to enhance retention and productivity, decrease costs and increase efficiencies through diversity and inclusion.    

Robin is active in American Association of University Women (AAUW) – Racine Branch as VP-Education Stem to further girls’ education in the areas of math and sciences, at ECO-Justice as board president and in Girls Inc. of SE Wisconsin Inc. as board president. 

Robin is married to Jerry (Gerald) Smerchek. They have two sons and 7 grandchildren. 

Dr. LaToya R Thurmond is a learning success coach at Gateway Technical College where she services accounting, business management and human service students. She serves as the advisor of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) Gateway Technical College Chapter where she exposes budding entrepreneurs to resources and networks that will play a significant role in their ability to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. As a small business owner, she has provided early childcare services and employment opportunities to children, families, and childcare professionals throughout Racine County for fourteen years.  

Dr. Thurmond earned her Bachelors in Business Administration from UW-Parkside, and has a Masters in Adult Education. She recently received her PhD. from Capella University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Her work addresses the need to identify coping strategies that help entrepreneurs move beyond the point of failure to the point of learning and applying the lessons through the 3R Redemptive Model: Realization, Refocus and Rebirth. She is a 2011 Leadership Racine graduate and was awarded the 2009 Small Business Administration Young Entrepreneur of the year award for both the Midwest region and Southeast region of Wisconsin. Her passion for helping people motivated her to create the non-profit organization A & S Unlimited Solutions and LMT Consulting, LLC where she provides empowerment workshops, business start-up coaching, teambuilding/leadership development training, and organizational assessments. She believes that the transformational leadership style inspires individuals and teams to find their inner greatness while creating positive change.  

She currently serves as the youth taskforce advisor for Racine Interfaith Coalition, and board member of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Racine and the Urban League of Greater Racine/Kenosha. She is a member of New Beginnings of Faith COGIC where she serves as Executive Pastor and youth leader under the headship of her father Sr. Pastor Prentiss Robbins Jr.   

Lesley Walker is the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.  She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Minnesota; her research is on 18th-century France, with a special interest in women writers and artists.  She has been at UW-Parkside since 2015 where she has devoted herself to aligning the traditional studies of the art and humanities with 21st-century skills in digitization to prepare our graduates for exciting careers and enriched and civic-minded lives.  

Norm is the Research Team leader for the Status of Women report, and co-authored the report’s labor market section along with his colleague Dr. Ling Li. He received his PhD in economics from West Virginia University and joined the UW-Parkside faculty in 1981. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of labor and urban economics, and econometrics. He was selected as UW-Parkside’s Stella C. Gray Teaching Excellence Award recipient three times and was named a Wisconsin Idea Fellow by the UW System Board of Regents for his contribution to local economic development issues. He has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals including the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Southern Economic Journal, and the Review of Social Economy. Norm has involved his students in community-based learning and research projects, the most recent include an intensive analysis of the City of Racine’s labor market, and an empirical examination of the impact of brownfields on property values in Kenosha. His service activities have been extensive. He was a member of the UW-System Category B Gender/Race Equity Committee, served as director of the Center for Economic Education for seven years, was the UW-Parkside Faculty Athletic Representative for 10 years, and has directed the UW-Parkside Foreign Film Series since he helped create it 1982. In 2004, he received the UW-Parkside Faculty Distinguished Service Award.

Sylvia worked on portions of the survey dealing with educational issues, in particular how they affect occupational segregation and the pay gap. She received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1991. She came to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1991. She has received both the Stella Gray Teaching Award and the Research and Creative Activity Award during her tenure at UW-Parkside. In 2000 she received a $421,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation to study reasons for women’s underrepresentation in Computer Science. She has published extensively in the psychology and computer science literatures. In 2019, an article she published in 2003 was selected as one of the 20 most important articles published among thousands in the last 50 years by the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education. She chaired the Psychology department for 5 years, has served on countless committees serving the university, and is on editorial boards of journals to serve her profession. And last, but not least, she is raising three sons.

Josh earned his BS in Environmental Studies from UW-Parkside in 2018 and was a receipient of the Outstanding Graduate award. He currently works as a member of the Innovations in Learning team. He does a bit of everything, but has a particular passion for geospatial data and how it can be used to advance social issues. Outside of his work at Parkside, Josh regularly volunteers his time mapping areas of humanitarian crisis globally, to assist efforts of NGOs like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. His contribution to this project consists of spatially visualizing data and developing interactive web maps to present these issues to the public.

In the Status of Women report, Kenny co-authored with Dr. Xun (George) Wang the section on demography. He worked with Joshua Carlson to create interactive maps covering several socioeconomic variables. Kenny earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2008 and joined UW-Parkside in 2009. His broad research in geography includes studying ethnic residential segregation, ethnic enclaves, electoral geography, and the geography of rap music. Local research involved analyzing segregation in Milwaukee and an historical-geography study on the Italian-American ethnic enclave in Kenosha. Publications can be found in GeoJournal, "Social-Spatial Segregation," and several Atlas of Elections editions. Current service responsibilities includes being Chair of the Awards and Ceremonies Committee, Chair of the Athletic Board, and member for the Center for Ethnic Studies. He teaches several human geography courses, such as Race and Ethnicity in America, World-Regional Geography, Urban Geography, and GIS in Planning. 

Matthew Goetsch is an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Arts, concentrating in graphic design. Before and during his education at Parkside, Matt held jobs working as a computer technician, web developer, and graphic designer.

In his free time, Matt enjoys photographing nature, tending to his ever-growing collection of plants, and playing video games with his friends.

Michael authored the Status of Women Report’s section on Political Representation. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2016.  His dissertation investigated vote choice for radical right parties in Europe. He joined UW-Parkside in his current position in Fall 2018 after completing a postdoctoral appointment at Lunds Universitet in Sweden. Prior to the postdoctoral appointment, he was an adjunct lecturer and full-time lecturer at UW-Parkside. His geographical areas of interest for teaching and research include the United States and Europe. His subfield areas of study within political science include political behavior, elections, political parties, and gendered politics. Michael has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Comparative European Politics, German Politics, Journal of Public Policy, and Social Science Quarterly. He has published on gendered politics in peer-reviewed journals such as the Austrian Journal of Political Science, Justice System Journal, Politics & Gender, and Political Research Quarterly. His current research projects focus on the gender gap in political knowledge, the gender gap in attitudes towards international conflict, and the effect that party identification’s has on attitudes towards sexual harassment.

Dr. Li received her Ph.D. in Economics in 2018 from Syracuse University and her B.A. in Economics in 2013 from Tsinghua University. Her research areas include health and labor economics. 

Her current research focus on occupational safety and health as well as long-term care. Her work uses quasi-experimental designs, the latest econometrics tools, and linked survey and administrative data, with a focus on evaluating the effect of public policies on occupational safety and health. The current research projects include quality of long-term care, the effect of safety regulations on worker safety and wage, as well as the role of unions on worker health. Her paper “The Effect of Workplace Inspections on Worker Safety,” has been published at the Industrial and Labor Relations Review. Her work has been presented at multiple professional conferences, including the annual conference of the American Economic Association (AEA), the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon), the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM), etc.

Her current teaching include Principles of Microeconomics, Health Economics, Industrial Organization and Public Policy.

Dr. Lyter is an Associate Professor in Health and Exercise Science who currently serves as the Faculty Director of the Master of Science in Health and Wellness Management program, and as the Faculty Director of Community-Based Learning and Research. Previously she served as Associate Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences, which was preceded by her leadership as the Chair of the Department of Health, Exercise Science and Sport Management for 13 years. Her teaching and research interests lie primarily in the areas of women’s health issues, health behavior change, wellness promotion, and community-based learning. She has numerous presentations locally as well as internationally, in addition to multiple publications in the field. Penny has received numerous awards for her commitment to teaching health and exercise science and community engagement. These awards include the Sister Joel Read Civic Engagement Practitioners Award from the Wisconsin-Campus Compact, the Sister Jean Verber Award recognizing her dedication to the Women's Resource Center (domestic violence shelter in Racine, WI), the Wisconsin Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Health Achievement Award, the UW-Parkside Stella C. Gray Teaching Excellence Award, and the Emporia State University Health, Physical Education and Recreation Alumni award. Penny was chosen as a “Health Expert” for the University of Wisconsin-System Strategic Planning Committee.  

Jim McPhaul currently serves as the director of the Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Parkside. He also teaches Sales, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Principles at the university. McPhaul is a retired banker, serving in numerous roles in southeastern Wisconsin for over 30 years. His last position held was as Sr. Vice President of Bank of Kenosha, a division of Banks of Wisconsin. He holds an undergraduate degree and his MBA from UW-Parkside. McPhaul is a GrowthWheel certified advisor and also a certified PROBE advisor for small businesses.

John is the contributor to the Violence Against Women for the Status of Women report. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville and joined the Department of Criminal Justice as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside in 2018. His dissertation showed that once neighborhood characteristics are considered, registered sex offenders do not influence the sale values of sold properties in rural, suburban, and urban counties. Knowing the presence of registered sex offenders within 1,000 feet did not affect home-buying decisions of urban homebuyers; however, the data suggests non-urban homebuyers may have been influenced in their property decisions based on the awareness of nearby registered sex offenders. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of communities & social ecology, victimology, and research methodologies. He has been published articles in peer-reviewed journals in Urban Studies, Sexual Abuse, and Deviant Behavior. Currently, John has been accepted into upcoming teaching workshops offered by Parkside to expand online course options for students, as well as to encourage community-based learning for a course discussing the criminalization of the mentally ill.

Helen Rosenberg authored the section on Women in Poverty for the Status of Women report. Helen received her PhD from Northwestern University in 1989 and joined the UW-Parkside faculty in 1991. She is Professor of Sociology and teaches courses in the sociology of mental illness, substance use and abuse and social gerontology. Her early publications focus on how people with mental illness adjust to community life after hospital release. She has combined her studies on drug use and aging to publish on the addiction patterns of older adults. In 1999, in partnership with the Racine Police Department, the National Institute of Justice awarded her monies to study the new community policing initiative in Racine County. In 2008, she was evaluator for a grant that supported capacity building in Southeastern Wisconsin, Capacity-building Assistance for Non-Profits (CAN) funded through the Department of Health and Human Services. As part of her role as evaluator, she met with numerous regional agencies and was asked to take on the role of evaluator to assess rehabilitation programming for African Americans released from prison through the Racine Vocational Ministry. She has a long-standing grant from Bader Philanthropies to invite speakers on aging and Alzheimer’s disease to our region. She is recipient of the UW-Parkside Service Award (2018) and Community based Learning and Research Award (2014), the Wisconsin Sociological Association William Sewell Award for Research (2013) and the Sister Joel Read Civic Engagement Practitioners Award from Wisconsin Campus Compact (2012).

Dana works and teaches in the Institute for Professional Educator Development, UW-Parkside’s teacher education department, and completed the report’s section on K-12 education. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Literacy Studies emphasis from UW-Madison and a Master’s degree in Linguistics from Georgetown University. A former Title I reading teacher, she focuses on preparing pre-service and in-service educators to teach literacy and reading to young children through university coursework and professional development experiences. Dana regularly collaborates with regional K-12 schools, school districts, and non-profit organizations, including Building Our Future for Kenosha County, to work towards the best possible educational outcomes for Wisconsin students. She serves on the UW System Foundations of Reading Test workgroup, represents UW-Parkside in the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and as a member of the UW System Math Initiative Institutional Change Team, and is a member of the state Program Approval Workgroup for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. She also serves as the Program Administrator for the School-Based Teacher Academy of Racine, an innovative teacher licensure program in partnership with Racine Unified School District.

John serves UW-Parkside’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment as Associate Policy and Planning Analyst. He joined UW-Parkside in 2011, and has two decades of experience in higher education administration and research. In addition to serving on several committees and grant initiatives within UW-Parkside and the University of Wisconsin System, he also sits on the data teams of Higher Expectations for Racine County and Building our Future in Kenosha County. John holds master’s degrees in organizational communication from Emerson College and urban affairs from Boston University, and is a PhD candidate in urban studies at UW-Milwaukee.

Xun (George) Wang is a full professor of Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Parkside and the Director of the Institute for China Studies on campus. His research focuses on global social change, organizational studies and China studies. He has published four books including Global Sociology, Human Resource Management and more than sixty articles in Journal of International Management, Thunderbird International Business Review, Asian Pacific Business Review, Journal of Third World Studies, Journal of Asian and Africa Studies, etc. He is the recipient of 2012 Research and Creative Activity Award at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

He directed international exchange programs with the funding from the US Department of States, the US Department of Education and the Furbright Foundation (funding exceeding $600,000). He has taught at Tsinghua University, People’s University of China, and Nankai University, Wuhan University of Technology and Jianghan University as visiting professors. He was invited to give more than 100 talks at the other prestigious Chinese universities such as Wuhan University, Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Huangzhong Normal University, etc.