Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce a few changes in the President’s Cabinet.
As many of you know, Jake Woodford, former Secretary to the Board and Assistant to the President was elected Mayor of Appleton. I am deeply grateful for Jake’s service to his alma mater. We will host a campus reception for our new Mayor as soon as we can, to give us all a chance to thank Jake for the enormous impact he has had on Lawrence and to wish him well in guiding Appleton’s future.
Since the beginning of the mayoral campaign last fall, Christyn Abaray has served as interim Secretary to the Board and Assistant to the President. I am thrilled that she will now pick up this position permanently. In addition to supervising the Athletics Department, Christyn will permanently assume all the other roles Jake performed: primary contact for the Board of Trustees; lead liaison to the Fox Cities, State and Federal agencies; managing real estate transactions here and in Door Country. As part of this transition, the President’s Cabinet will diminish in size by one. This change will help us reach our goal of lowering operating costs by $3.5 million. Christyn will announce today a new full-time Athletics Director.
Jeff Clark, Professor of Geosciences will also complete his three-year term as Special Assistant to the President at the end of this academic year. I want to thank Jeff for the leadership and enthusiasm he brought to this role. His work to deepen Lawrence’s sustainability efforts, to revitalize our 3-2 program relationships, and to establish a connection with the Center for Professional and Executive Development at University of Madison’s Business School, among other initiatives, has moved Lawrence forward in many important ways.
I am pleased that Jason Brozek, the Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs and Associate Professor of Government will be the next Special Assistant to the President. Jason will work with Provost Kodat and me on our strategic priority of Deepening the Academic Program. In this regard, I have also asked Elizabeth De Stasio, Raymond J. Herzog Professor of Science and Professor of Biology, to join Jason in this effort in her role as Chair of the Pre-Health Advising Committee. I want to thank both Jason and Beth for finding time for this important work. The University’s sustainability efforts will continue to be led by Kelsey McCormick, our Sustainability Coordinator, and the Sustainability Steering Committee which is comprised of student, faculty, and staff representatives. Kelsey will report to Christyn for this and other responsibilities.
After over 25 years of service, Nancy Truesdell will also retire from her role as Special Assistant to the President in June. I want to thank Nancy for her “third career” at Lawrence serving as interim Registrar and leading a number of different initiatives over the past three years. We have counted on her dedication to the University and to learning, time and time again in her multiple roles at Lawrence. I am thankful that she will continue to serve the higher education community as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. Her position as special assistant will not be replaced. I know you will join me in wishing Nancy the best of luck.
Yours,
Mark
Mark Burstein
President