UW System Outstanding
Women of Color In Education Awards

Zora Sampson, UW Colleges Barron County

Soma Ann Pierce, UW-Eau Claire

Vicki Washington, UW-Extension

Yarvelle Draper-King, UW-Green Bay

Yarvelle T. Draper-King joined the UW System in 1992 after having previously worked for thirteen years as an administor, operations manager and buiness analyst for Inernational Business Machines Corporation (IBM). She is currently the Director of Student Support Services and the Educational Opportunity Program at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. She holds a master's degree in Counseling from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 1997 She was chair of the Academic Staff Committee at UW-Green Bay and served on the Chancellor's Planning and Resource Committee. Her community involvements include serving on the Board of Directors and membership committee of the YMCA of Green Bay and DePere from 1997-2000 and coordination of the Green Bay African American Community choir from 1997-2003. For the last seven years she has been a presenter for the Green Bay Correctional Facility's "Challenges and Possibilities" lecture series helping broaden inmates' perspectives regarding their education and has often lectured in the parenting class there on refocusing perspectives. She is currently the President-Elect of the Wisconsin Association of Equal Opportunity Program Personnel (WAEOPP) and chair of its 2005 Adult Student Leadership Conference. For the last two years she has served as chair of the WAEOPP TRIO Alumni Committee. She was one of the 1997 recipients of the UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award. Draper-King lives in Green Bay with her husband Charles H. King, who is the owner of C. Wear, Incorporated. They have three grown children. Draper-Kings's interests include perusing historical artifacts including architecture, furniture, plants and recipies. She is a collector of antiques and ethnic art and enjoys sewing, music and creative problem solving.

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Carmen G. Kennedy, UW-La Crosse

Linda C. Stitt, UW-Madison

Diane Amour, UW-Milwaukee

Imelda Druke, UW-Oshkosh

Michele V Gee, UW-Parkside

Dr. Michele V. Gee has a dual appointment as an administrator and a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin - Parkside. She is a special Assistant to the Provost, and an Associate Professor of Business Management in the School of Business and Technology. She has tirelessly pursued issues concerning understanding and appreciating diversity, cross-cultural management, international business, community economic development, and workplace skills competencies. Dr. Gee is currently developing Mentoring Programs for the UW - Parkside campus, with particular attention to minority and female faculty and staff. She continues to serve on many committees including the steering committees for the Center for Ethnic Studies, and the Women's Studies program; the University Planning Council; Department of Business Strategic Planning Committee; and the University Budget subcommittee. She greatly contributed to the development of UWP's Plan 2008, served as Co-Director of the Center for International Studies for three years; and served as Co-Director of three regional community economic development programs during recent years. Dr. Gee has served on numerous statewide, UW System committees and task forces. In addition, she continues to mentor many students at UW-Parkside, particularly women, international students, and students of color. Dr. Gee is involved in considerable research and teaching efforts concerning people of color and women in business, global and domestic workplace diversity, and international business.

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Mailee Kue, UW-Platteville

Linda M. Alvarez, UW-River Falls

Stephanie Whiting, UW-Stevens Point

Teresa L Muraski, UW-Stout

Nancy Merrill, UW-Superior

Patricia A. Takemoto, UW-System

Dr. Takemoto first joined the University of Wisconsin enterprise in 1982 as the Director of Finance and Administration for WHA-TV (Wisconsin Public Television) and has held subsequent positions as the Associate Director of the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project (Wisconsin Public Radio), Senior Outreach Officer (UW-Madison), Special Assistant to the Senior Vice President (UW System Administration), Educational Program Officer (UW Learning Innovations) before assuming her current position in 2003. Prior to coming to Wisconsin, she served as Director of Student Activities at Northern Illinois University. During her undergraduate years, she worked with Project Upward Bound, a pre-college program targeted at Chicago's inner city youth and later was an educator with the Illinois Department of Corrections (juvenile division) where she worked with hundreds of young people of color. Pat holds a Master's Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago and a Doctorate in Adult and Continuing Education from Northern Illinois University. Born and raised in the multicultural society of Hawaii, Pat grew up in a community where race and ethnicity were only incidental considerations surpassed by merit, education, and professional life experiences. Her professional work has always been guided by her belief and commitment to higher and lifelong education, which she feels are the most effective routes to creating a society that values diversity and understands and welcomes the inevitable changes that come with an increasingly global economy. She also believes that community public service is an integral part of one's professional responsibilities and has served on many boards including the Voluntary Action Center, the Wisconsin Humanities Council, the Madison Repertory Theatre, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans, the Mann Minority Scholars Endowment Fund, Pacific and Asian Women's Alliance, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Chamber Music Society.

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Wanda Martin-Terry, UW-Whitewater