UW System Outstanding
Women of Color In Education Awards

(photograph taken by Rick Mickelson)

Award Recipients for 2006

Rose Marie Galindo, UW Colleges

Barbara Blackdeer-Mackenzie, UW-Eau Claire

Lucy Holifield, UW-Extension

Celestine Jeffreys, UW-Green Bay

Kara Lindaman, UW-LaCrosse

Gloria Ladson-Billings, UW-Madison

Alice Jackson, UW-Milwaukee

Barbara Miller, UW-Oshkosh

Consuelo Clemens, UW-Parkside

Patricia A. Foster, UW-Platteville

Somorae Smith, UW-River Falls

Elia J. Armacanqui-Tipacti, UW-Stevens Point

Ilse Hartung, UW-Stout

Stephanie Williams, UW-Superior

Vicki C. Washington, UW System

Han Ngo, UW-Whitewater
 

Past Award Recipients by Campus or by Year

Rose Marie Galindo, UW Colleges

Dr. Rose Marie Galindo joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Colleges Spanish Department in 1991 and began teaching at UW-Rock County that fall.  She is well known and respected for her work at UW-Rock County and for her contributions to diversity and Women's Studies.

Dr. Galindo's contributions include two study abroad trips to Mexico she organized with colleague Lloyd Goding in 1992-93 in order to put students and community members in contact with the richness of Mexican culture. In 2001, Dr. Galindo began team-teaching a course entitled "Culture, History and Archaeology in the Yucatan Peninsula" with colleague Dr. Allan Meyers.  The course included an asynchronous web-based section to provide students with background on the history and archeology of the Yucatan area, a trip to Yucatan , and the submission of a project in which students integrated web-based and experiential learning.

During the summer of 2002, Drs. Galindo and Meyers prepared a learning project that drew from the knowledge gained on the Yucatan trip.  The project was funded by a grant from UW System Institute for Global Studies Initiative and resulted in a PowerPoint presentation containing 40 photos and corresponding narration in English and Spanish that is available to all UW System faculty through the UW System Institute for Global Studies.

In 2002, Dr. Galindo developed a compressed video course titled "Latin American and Latina Women."  The course examines how Latin American and Latina women have resisted race, class and gender oppression by considering the lives and literary works of Latin American and Latina women within Latin American society and in the United States. The complex relationships among these factors and ethnicity are examined through the analysis of a variety of primary texts, films and scholarly articles.  Students from the UW Colleges campuses in Marshfield , Marinette, Rock County , Waukesha and Fond du Lac have taken advantage of this unique learning opportunity.

Dr. Galindo is currently designing a course titled "Special Topics in Literature and/or Culture and Civilization: Autobiography and Identity in Latin American and Latino Authors."  She plans to begin teaching the course in fall 2006.  In the course, students will study autobiographical writing and life narratives by Latin American and Latino authors to explore how this type of writing helps individuals to construct an identity that subverts hegemonic conceptions of the self.  Particular attention is given to the life writing by women and other marginalized groups because of ethnicity and/or sexual orientation.

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Barbara Blackdeer-Mackenzie,
UW-Eau Claire

Barbara Blackdeer-Mackenzie's accomplishments are as multifaceted as they are impressive. In her current capacity as the Ho-Chunk Nation's Executive Director of Education, she has been instrumental in helping Native Americans through leadership and advocacy efforts in the development and implementation of current best practices in education and municipal administration, especially in anti-bullying and the achievement gap. She is a member of the State Superintendent's task force to improve high schools, was elected to her local district's school board (the first Native American to do so,) and was also a Wisconsin Association of School Boards state policy board member. She has also served the Ho-Chunk Nation in a number of other capacities, including as Interim Executive Director of Business, Executive Administrative Officer, Executive Compliance Officer, Public Relations Officer and delegate for NAFTA for tribes with Canada.

Ms. Blackdeer-Mackenzie has also been recognized for her contributions to Women's Studies by being selected as the Knight Journalist in Residence, teaching Journalism, Women's Studies and American Indian Studies courses from August 2001 - June 2004. In 2002 she was the recipient of the Josephine P. WhiteEagle Fellowship for post-baccalaureate study and also received the "Excellence in Service Learning as a Faculty Mentor" that same year for her supervision of diverse service learning projects that engage the elderly, battered women, the Special Olympics, food pantries, women's rugby coaching, and the Hmong community.

Time and time again Ms. Blackdeer-Mackenzie has worked to improve connections with UW Eau Claire administration, students, and faculty/staff with Native American contacts, presenting university-wide programs on human rights in Native America, and organizing the "First Nations, New Nations" conference in 2004 that recognized the Hmong community and media relations. She has also developed new internships for students of color with Central Newspapers Association. While employed at UW Eau Claire, she made recommendations to create a more welcoming campus for ethnically diverse populations through her public relations campaign "Taste of Dviersity" and worked to improve admission, retention, and graduation rates for students of color. Her dedication and commitment make her a visible role model for women in the local community and beyond.

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Lucy Holifield, UW Extension

As director of the UW Extension Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Milwaukee, Lucy Holifield has changed the playing field for minority businesses in Milwaukee with the establishment of the Minority Entrepreneurship Program in Milwaukee in 2004 to promote business startups in the city. She considers herself somewhat of a "lone ranger" in Milwaukee 's entrepreneurial community-someone who listens intensely to what minority business owners, in particular, say they need.

Last year, Ms. Holifield developed and implemented a peer-learning model for minority entrepreneurs: the Minority Business Roundtable. She adapted a successful model for exchanging peer-to-peer advice-a program called PeerSpectives developed by the Lowe Foundation-and made it accessible to minority business owners. The first Minority Business roundtable of 10, including four minority women, came together last October. A year later, four members of the group have already decided to pool their resources for a joint venture, and Ms. Holifield is setting the groundwork for a new group.

For minority women in particular, Ms. Holifield's work is significant. Minority businesswomen face the same challenges as women in general: access to capital and good information, and access to good advice through networking. But for minorities in business, there are additional hurdles: navigating the state certification process for minority businesses and finding people who will listen to their business concepts. Lucy connects the dots for minority men and women who are trying to create healthy and growing businesses. Ms. Holifield has developed good relationships with banks that want to do business with minority businesses. For minority business owners, her relationships open many doors.

Ms. Holifield shares a wealth of experience as the associate director of the Consortium for Economic Opportunity at UW-Milwaukee, as an entrepreneur who grew her own business-Identity Toys, Inc., as an importer of home furnishings from West Africa, and as an advertising account executive in Chicago, New York, and Madison. She also manages the Dorothy Miniace Scholarship Fund at UW-Milwaukee for businesswomen who need financial assistance to take the next steps in their careers. Ms. Holifield holds a Master's Degree in business from Atlanta University , and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Detroit.

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Celestine Jeffreys, UW-Green Bay

Since moving to Green Bay in 2000, Jeffreys has made herself a vital and treasured participant in the greater Green Bay community. Her commitment to grassroots organizations and the advancement of all community members benefits the community tremendously. For three years, she chaired the Fort Howard Neighborhood Association, a volunteer group that works to maintain low crime rates while keeping the neighborhood clean and drug-free. She is a current member of the Mayor's Neighborhood Leadership Council and a board member Neighborhood Housing Services. She participates in the Multicultural Center of Greater Green Bay and the Nia African/African American Dance/drumming Group, a truly multicultural University/Community group created to promote diversity in this area while celebrating African/African American culture. She has coordinated Green Bay 's Annual Children's Rainbow Festival, a community festival that includes hundreds of local children. On top of this, she is the mother of twins and an active volunteer at Aldo Leopold School . Ms. Jeffreys is currently running for Green Bay 's City Council, and is the first African American woman to do so. In all of her activities she is particularly concerned about minority students and their academic opportunities.

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Kara Lindaman, UW-La Crosse

Dr Lindaman is an assistant professor of political science and public administration at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her research interests focus on school policy and school finance of rural schools experiencing cultural changes due to new student populations. Through elite interviews and a single household survey of six rural school districts in the Midwest , her findings suggest that state policy regarding the funding of limited English proficient students matters. Her research was recently presented at the American Political Science Association meetings and the Wisconsin Political Science Association/Wisconsin Sociological Association. In addition, she is completing collaborative work on gay and lesbian ballot initiatives, which shows that minority populations overwhelmingly lose regardless of jurisdictional size.

Dr. Lindaman's research contributes nicely to her teaching interests of public policy, race, and politics, where she focuses on the underrepresented and underserved, especially in the areas of health delivery and health insurance. She bolsters this with her bi-weekly participation in the Teaching for Diversity seminars, which are in part funded by the Office of Affirmative Action and Diversity. This program has contributed greatly to her positive classroom experience. These discussions have provided faculty across disciplines with the opportunity to discuss new ideas and approaches and share experiences and teaching moments regarding Lindaman's specific course on race and politics and/or the shared university goal of encouraging diversity.

On campus Dr. Lindaman is involved in many activities outside her department. From the UWL Women's Samulnori Ensemble performances of Korean drumming at many university and community events to service on the Women's Advisory Council and the Undergraduate Research Committee, her experiences are varied and fulfilling. Overall, Dr. Lindaman's success and good fortune stem from her engagement with students and involvement with the larger community.

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Gloria Ladson-Billings,
UW-Madison

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Professor in Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UW-Madison's School of Education. She received her B. S. from Morgan State University, an ME.D. from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Dr. Ladson-Billings' scholarship is extensive and has focused on multicultural education, social studies, critical race theory and education, and culturally relevant pedagogy. In 1994 she wrote the book, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children, in which she examined eight outstanding teachers who differ in personal style but approach teaching to affirm cultural identity.

She has over 40 publications; has given over 50 invited presentations throughout the United States and internationally; has served as a reviewer of six education journals; has published scholarly articles in leading journals, and has received over six grants to work with school teachers. She has been a senior fellow in urban education of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and a visiting scholar at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California. She has received numerous teaching awards. Her work in the field on culture and pedagogy is unmatched.

In April 2005, Dr. Ladson-Billings assumed the presidency of the 22,000-member American Educational Research Association (AERA), a position of national prominence that recognizes her scholarship, service, leadership, and overall excellence in educational research. Her election caps a distinguished record of service to, and honors from the AERA. In the spring of 2005, she was also elected to membership in the National Academy of Education, which advances high quality education research and its use in policy formulation and practice. The national and international recognition of Dr. Ladson-Billings brings great honor to the University of Wisconsin, and her humanity blesses both the UW and the Madison community.

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Alice Jackson, UW-Milwaukee

Alice Yvonne Jackson obtained a master's degree in Creative Writing from Illinois State University. Her work continues to explore issues of race and gender-topics that seem to relentlessly define her own status in society. "It is empowering to write my own stories instead of having the world dictate who I am and how I am perceived." Ms. Jackson taught Freshman Composition at Belleville Area College in Belleville , IL , and at Forest Park Community College in St. Louis , MO before moving back to Bloomington/Normal for full-time employment at her alma mater. Before coming to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in March of 2000, Ms. Jackson was the Assistant Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Illinois State University .

Alice Jackson's commitment to women students, particularly women students of color, is demonstrated regularly in her work as Manager of Sociocultural Programming at UW-Milwaukee. Ms. Jackson has been instrumental in bringing women of color to this campus as distinguished guest speakers-speakers such as Alice Walker, bell hooks, Kadiatou Diallo, Farai Chideya, damali ayo and Nikki Giovanni. She has worked diligently with both the Center for Women's Studies and the Women's Resource Center to make special events and programs available to our women students on campus. She has also provided tireless assistance and support on a number of special projects involving women of color, such as Professor Genevieve McBride's project with the Cultures and Communities Program to place a UW-Milwaukee student in an internship with the local chapter of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. Ms. Jackson demonstrates a strong commitment to women students of color through her volunteer efforts, such as her work with the Multicultural Affairs Council. She is truly an asset to the university community, particularly for women of color.

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Barbara Miller, UW-Oshkosh

Barbara Miller has served as a Student Recruitment Specialist in the Admissions Office since 2002. Ms. Miller is among the first of four individuals to hold a recruitment specialist position in admissions. She works with three other colleagues who hold similar positions that focus specifically on recruitment and enrollment activities for the Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino and Hmong populations. In October 2005, the State Council on Affirmative Action Office of State Employment Relations honored her along with her recruitment specialist colleagues with a program achievement award. Previously she served as an Academic Advisor and Counselor in the Student Support Services department of the Division of Academic Support from 1997-2000 and 2001-2002.

During the past three years, Ms. Miller has selflessly committed her energies and talents to establish a UW-Oshkosh presence among local Native communities, organizations and institutions. She has devoted hundreds of hours to nurturing positive and healthy relationships with current and future UW-Oshkosh Native students. She has patiently and enthusiastically taken painstaking steps to educate University faculty and staff about Native culture.

Ms. Miller's recruitment efforts and other activities such as the UW-Oshkosh Native Pride Day, a Native Powwow which she is spearheading this fall, and "Act on ACT"-an activity that brought Native students to campus to learn study techniques for the ACT exam and to take an actual ACT exam at the UW Oshkosh Testing Center-have contributed to the steady increase in application and transfer of Native students as well as help prepare Native high school students for higher education. She also developed a curriculum on college preparation that she taught on a monthly basis in four local high schools with identified populations of Native students. Native Pride Day has now evolved into a more inclusive Multicultural Preview Day that includes student participants from not only Native communities but also African American, Hispanic/Latino and Hmong communities.

Ms. Miller's numerous efforts have not only touched individual students but also the UW-Oshkosh community, the local Native communities, as well as State and national organizations. She is a member of the University Diversity Council and is engaged with the UW System Equity Scorecard project. She is also a key facilitator and coordinator for a Native youth leadership development organization called YEP (Youth Empowerment Process) and has given presentations on Indian history to elementary and high school educators at the American Indian Studies Summer Institute. Ms. Miller's commitment and passion come from the depths of her soul. Her accomplishments and successes are evidence of her compassion for Native people as well as her overarching value of diversity.

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Consuelo Clemens, UW-Parkside

Dr. Clemens, holds a Ph.D. from Ohio University. She specialized in international education and diversity issues. Previously, she coordinated study abroad programs at Hocking College and taught at Ohio University in Athens , Ohio .

Since arriving in Wisconsin three and a half years ago, Dr. Clemens has served as Coordinator of the International Programs at UW-Parkside. This position had not existed previously, but through Dr. Clemens' creative initiative and engagement, the Center has made progress in making international alliances; providing international students services; developing a strong study abroad component and advocating for international education.

Dr. Clemens has also done an excellent job in handling the enormous amount of paperwork in the office since 9/11. Her knowledge of changes in immigration and student visa requirements along with her sincere commitment to student success has translated into a smoother transition for international students at UW-Parkside.

At the core of her success is her dedication to creating a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at the Center. Particularly for those students who are in this country for the first time, Dr. Clemens has made a significant contribution to establishing rapport and in learning and sharing the other's cultures. International students feel they can turn to her for guidance and support as they chart new waters in a new campus and a new country.

Moreover, Dr. Clemens is equally welcoming to all students, showing no favoritism to those who speak her native language of Spanish. She has a particular appreciation for the challenges many students face as they embark on their studies abroad as she is aware of the challenges in living in another country by drawing from her experience in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica .

In many regards, she is truly a facilitator of diversity, international education and in creating a healthy campus climate to live and learn.

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Patricia A. Foster, UW-Platteville

Patricia Foster has served as director of the Patricia A. Doyle Women's Center since July of 2002. She is also an adjunct instructor in the counselor education master's program at UW-Platteville. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University , her master's degree in community education with an emphasis in aging from Mankato State University , and is currently a doctoral student at Edgewood College .

Ms. Foster's contributions to women and people of color are numerous. She served as UW-Platteville's director of multi-cultural services from 2000 to 2002. She has arranged for numerous programs on women's issues delivered by renowned figures including African American poet Nikki Giovanni, accomplished educator Jane Elliott, Sarah Weddington, Congresswoman Gwendolyn Taylor, and Native American activist Danielle Hornette. Ms. Foster has increased opportunities for others by serving as coordinator of pre-college programs for inner city youth, advisor to students organizations including La RAZA and Black Student Union, and facilitated the organization of a student and faculty exchange program with Mississippi Valley State University . She was also instrumental in implementing the Lawton Grant program at UW-Platteville. Her contributions extend beyond campus in her capacity as co-chair of the University Women's Council and active participation with the State of Iowa Human Rights

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Somorae Smith, UW-River Falls

Somorae Smith is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar at UW-River Falls where she is currently investigating the impact of African American political activism and church attendance. Njia Lawrence-Porter, her McNair coordinator, cites her "enthusiasm, ambition, and personable nature" and love and respect for others. She is dedicated to the advancement of women and her activities have positively impacted women's lives both on and off campus.

Ms. Smith is an active member of the community both on and off campus. On campus she has participated on a number of diversity panels, sat on several campus committees, and has been a tour guide for the Admissions Office. She also participated in the American Multicultural Conference, serves as a peer advisor for Career Services, and is a member of Dance Theater. Moreover, she is an active participant and leader in Alpha Sigma Alpha (ASA), where she helps her peers become aware of aspects of a balanced life, focusing on intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual aspects of self. In her role as counselor, she guides young women on their developmental paths and encourages them to maximize their personal and academic potential. Off campus she volunteers fifty hours per semester with the "Special Olympics" and "Relay for Life."

Ms. Smith has a deep commitment to service and giving back to her community, which prompted her to look for ways to improve the life of young women in her old neighborhood by serving as coach for an "18 and under" softball team in St. Paul four years ago. The majority of these girls are African, Asian and Mexican American. When Ms. Smith took over the team, she used softball as a positive summer group activity. While coaching she made numerous references to the value of a university education in order to instill in them the belief that they, like her, could do great things. By the end of the first season, all seven of the girls were enrolled either in high school or an alternative learning program. By summer 2005, four of the girls graduated and were attending community colleges and the remaining girls will graduate in May 2006. She humbly acknowledges that acting as a role model and showing them that "there is more to life than what they see every day" has had a profound impact and has incalculably broadened their opportunities for rewarding lives.

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Elia J. Armacanqui-Tipacti,
UW-Stevens Point

Dr. Elia J. Armacanqui-Tipacti, a native of Peru, is an Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages. She received a B.A. in History from Universidad Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a specialization in Latin American literature, Medieval and Golden Age literature, with an emphasis in Colonial Literature.

Dr. Armacanqui-Tipacti's scholarship and professional involvement in the area of women's studies has been prolific, including a book, numerous articles and papers, and as a frequent presenter and panel participant at conferences and workshops. She has worked extensively to research the manuscripts of nuns from the colonial period as a means to uncover the silenced women's voices from the past.

Dr. Armacanqui-Tipacti's contributions on campus in the area of women of color are numerous. She has served as a member of the Equity and Affirmative Action Committee for three years, as faculty adviser to the Student Alliance for Latino Studies and Advancements (SALSA), as mentor to minority students, and as a member of the Portage County Cultural Festival.

Dr. Armacanqui-Tipacti's played a major role in bringing to campus in March 2003 the film "Señorita Extraviada" (Missing Women) through the Mexico Solidarity Network. The film documented the culture of violence against women in Juarez and their struggle for justice. She was also a member of the Steering Committee of the October 2005 and the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Women Care Conference organized by The Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc. based at UW-Stevens Point.

Dr . Armacanqui-Tipacti's commitment to improving the status and climate for women on campus and in the community was demonstrated most recently and significantly when she organized a collaborative Poetry and Art Exhibition titled "Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women" aimed at raising awareness of the violence faced by women locally and globally. Her efforts resulted in the collaboration of eight academic departments, three colleges, several administrative units, and numerous student organizations to make the Poetry and Art Exhibition an interdisciplinary event that strengthened the university community and culture.

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Ilse Hartung, UW-Stout

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Speech Communications, Foreign Languages, Theater and Music, Ilse Hartung is a member of the Minority Faculty and Staff Network at UW-Stout where she has contributed to the organizational structure of the committee, and through which she plans to establish a mentoring program for women.

Through the years, Ms. Hartung has participated in a number of diversity committees. She also served on search and screen committees, and has participated in job description writing and reviews. Previously, Ms.. Hartung served as advisor to the Hispanic Club (Club Los Hispanos) for 8 years. During that time, she worked primarily with women in leadership and activities development for the campus. She also accompanied students to Chicago for their Annual National Minority Student Conference.

Ms. Hartung was a member of a poetry troupe that performed on campus and in several locations in the city of Menomonie in conjunction with activities for Women's History month. She also participated in a lecture and campus visit by world famous Hispanic writer Isabel Allende for which she secured the funds, organized all activities, and arranged for interviews with the media.

Her commitment to diversity is both in and out of the classroom. Ms. Hartung has applied innovative ways to infuse diversity content into the curriculum and her teaching materials to ensure that they include people of diverse cultures. Her engagement with students of color dates back to her graduate student years, when she worked in the Ethnic Services Center . She also organized and monitored the Peer Mentor Program and served as editor to the program's quarterly magazine "Ethnicity." She was also a teacher in the Pre-College program, a recruitment program for students of color, for several years. Her attention to teaching has made her the recipient of the Outstanding Minority Teacher Award many times. This award is given by Multicultural Student Services to a teacher nominated by students.

Ms. Hartung developed a project by the name of "From Margin To Center: A Poetry Project For Students of Color" in collaboration with Dr. Darshan Perusek, for which she has received two consecutive years of WCWC funding. This project united a group pf 12 students of color who met weekly for a semester to read poetry, and to find "common voices through the voices and words of others."

Students wrote original poetry pieces, produced a video of their performance, and traveled to other UW campuses with their live performance.

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Stephanie Williams, UW-Superior

Stephanie Williams, a 2005 graduate of UW Superior, has been one of the most involved students in cultural diversity in the community and on campus since her Freshman year in 2000. She has been involved with the Office of Multicultural Affairs since she began her education here. First as a volunteer in the office and then in 2002 she was hired to be an Office Assistant in a student assistant position and will end her employment in December 2005 when she graduates. She also worked as a general tutor in the Academic Support Center in 2001-02.

Ms. Williams has been instrumental in recruitment efforts for the Office of Multicultural Affairs in many ways. She has been a mentor to many African American, Native American, Hmong, and Hispanic high school students every year since 2000 with our "College Student For A Day" program. She has worked as a Camp Counselor for Youthsummer and Hmong Youthsummer Pre-College Programs working with many young students of color.

Ms. Williams has also played a major role in student organizations on campus. Since 2000, she has been an active member of the Black Student Union and holds the position of Vice President this academic semester. She has helped organize annual Soul Food Dinners and cultural programs. She has always been a participant in the Martin Luther King, Jr. March and Rally organized by the local NAACP in the Duluth-Superior community and is an active member with the Asian Pacific American Student Organization. She attends meetings and has helped with past Hmong cultural events. In fact, she has been accepted by the Hmong community on campus so much so that the students gave her a Hmong name.

Ms. Williams has attended the American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference (AMSLC) annually since 2000 and received the AMSLC ChangeMaker Award in 2004 for her ongoing dedication to cultural diversity on campus and in her community. In the community, Stephanie volunteers her time at the Encounter, which is a Youth for Christ Center in Duluth , on "Girls Night." She is an active member in her church, "Living Faith International Ministries."

Stephanie is a role model for not just African American youth but for all youth of color. She is an inspiration to many! As one of her recommenders for this award stated, "She seems to have endless energy, passion and commitment for multicultural issues and projects."  It also stated "Stephanie has knowledge, charisma and poise beyond her years.  Many students from my Multicultural class have sought her out as a source of information and enlightenment. In every instance they have learned in a safe, positive manner."

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Vicki C. Washington, UW System

Vicki Washington is a relative newcomer to UWSA, having accepted the position of Interim Assistant Vice President for Academic Diversity and Development in April 2005. She previously served as Director of the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Program for UW-Extension she oversaw Plan 2008, discrimination complaints, Affirmative Action (AA) Plan development and administration, recruitment advising and waivers, Title IX and general outreach, civil rights compliance matters. She also provided leadership for implementation of a statewide Multicultural Change training program, including the train-the-trainer component.

Ms. Washington has brought to UWSA the innovativeness she displayed with UW-Extension. In a brief time, she has redirected the systemwide Plan 2008, helped establish the President's Council on Diversity and the Status of Women Working Group, joined in forming an initiative on excellence and equity as well as a process for holistic admissions, and taken the lead for a new diversity award to be funded by the Alliant Energy Foundation. She has also restructured engagement among Multicultural/Disadvantaged Coordinators and Precollege Directors by forming committees within each of these groups who now set the agenda, establish long-term priorities, and promote exchanges across institutions.

A conference for the UW System on best practices for enhancing diversity spurred considerable interest in the Diversity Scorecard, developed at the University of Southern California by Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon and her colleagues. The Board of Regents evinced its interest by directing UWSA to develop a scorecard approach appropriate to the UW System. Ms. Washington, accepting the directive, fashioned a model based on equity and not merely diversity, solicited participation in a pilot project by a subset of UW System institutions, and aggregated the financial and human resources required to make the project succeed. One of the Provosts who joined an initial meeting reported to others that she emerged even more enthusiastic for an effort she already endorsed.

Ms. Washington merits recognition for her rallying of varied forces to create positive change. She has shown an uncommon commitment to diversity and equity across lines of gender, race, and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical status. Her extensive experience in civil rights, diversity and multicultural change, facilitation, conflict resolution, employee relations and human resources makes her a natural leader and role model for women of color. Ms. Washington holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from Spelman College , and a J.D. Degree from North Carolina Central.

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Han Ngo, UW-Whitewater

Han Ngo has served as an Academic Advisor/Counselor with the Minority Business Program and the Minority Teacher Preparation Program at UW-Whitewater since 2001 and is currently co-Advisor for the Southeast Asian Student Organization. When she left Vietnam with her family at the age of 15 to come to the United States , none of them spoke English. Han was determined to learn English and be successfully woven into the fabric of her new home. She became proficient in English, graduated from Madison West High School , attended MATC and transferred to UW-Whitewater where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Computer End-User Technologies. She also earned a Master of Business Administration Degree in Management.

For students of color, and particularly for Southeast Asian female students at UW-Whitewater, Ms. Ngo is a symbol of success, a wise advisor, and a positive role model. Her contributions to women of color at UW-Whitewater are numerous. She is a representative for the Minority Teacher Preparation Program on the College of Education Advising Committee and also serves as an instructor for the New Student Seminar. She has served as a panelist for "Help! I'm Struggling with College English: A Workshop for Faculty, Staff, and Student Advocates" and coordinator for Vietnam-Thailand Study Travel Seminars.

Ms. Ngo's contributions extend to Vietnamese women in the Madison community. She is the trusted voice and confidante of many who do not possess the language skills to successfully negotiate and become fully involved in their communities. Han schedules doctor appointments, straightens-out billing issues, helps secure loans, and even provides descriptions of problems to automobile mechanics. These are but a few examples of her willingness to act as a conduit for the expression and resolution of problems that women of color face as non-English or minimal English speakers. Clearly, she is dedicated to improving the lives of women of color at UW-Whitewater and the broader community.

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