Professional Staff Organization University of Washington

As UW Libraries Associate Director of Advancement, I am very conscious of the budgetary challenges facing the University. Working closely with private donors, corporations and foundations, I raise funds and increase the visibility of the Libraries and University in the community. Before moving here, I lived and worked in Australia and served as vice-president of the Chisholm Institute of TAFE, supporting technical and further education. I will use my skills to help promote the PSO, encourage participation in events and the scholarship and grant program, and work to support the university and the PSO membership to meet the changing needs of the workplace.

I've worked at the UW for about eight years, and attended PSO meetings off and on. I've always felt welcome and learned things at each meeting. I've managed the Information & Visitors Center for more than four years. The thing l love the most about working here is that we help everyone, from students to faculty and staff, the public, visitors and guests, and tourists. We really are a place of all things UW in one location. Each day feels like being a contestant on Jeopardy since the breadth of questions is so wide. We pride ourselves on doing several things really well: we give prompt, accurate and cheerful help and we connect the UW to area resources and vice versa. We represent the best of everything here at the UW, and we know we make a difference by reducing people's stress, helping them get oriented, and clarifying details that help them find what they need. I say, we are the center of the University (to steal a tag line from Fremont), which qualifies me to represent other professionals on the PSO board.

Hollye Keister has worked at the UW for seven years and is Registrar at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. She joined the PSO in 2006 and the PSO Board of Directors in 2008. She currently serves as a backup representative to the Faculty Council on University Facilities and Services.

I have worked between Harborview and the University of Washington Medical Center for 13 years. My experience working in the different environments of the medical centers has helped me prepare for this PSO leadership role. I am very excited to be considered for this position and will bring the skills I have learned to help continue to make the PSO successful and informative to all of its members.

I have a keen interest in serving UW employees in professional staff positions. Facing tighter budgets, coupled with greater demands on departments, I would like to help ensure that professional staff members are able to weather the limited resource climate, enjoy a quality workplace, and pursue career advancement.

The University is a rare institution comprised of autonomous components that contribute to a particular whole, with an overarching vision to provide excellence in higher education. PSO presents an opportunity to learn about decisions and processes that impact a particular component- professional staff. However, excellence requires more than cognition of presence; it demands informed participation. I welcome the responsibility of furthering the goals of the PSO and contributing to its vision of excellence which aligns with UW Bothell's mission and UW's vision.

UW Tacoma is a pretty awesome place. If you haven't visited the UWT campus yet, you need to find an excuse to come visit our wonderful UW staff and faculty members who have been working so hard to transform downtown Tacoma into a really cool place to hang out. I enjoy bragging about all things UW to my friends, my family, and even the occasional server in a local watering hole. I am one of the folks responsible to update twitter for UW Tacoma Admissions. I have been directly involved with the development, planning, and implementation of a wide variety of creative, entertaining, and informative events on the UW Tacoma campus. I have a background in both government and labor lelations. I have established good relationships with UW staff on all 3 campuses. I am looking forward to bringing my talents to the UW PSO.

Before working in the Faculty Senate office, I worked for former Governor Dan Evans and assisted him with his autobiography as a professional staff member in the Evans School. I attended the UW as an undergraduate, where I earned BA degrees in economics and political science, and later earned an MPA at the Evans School. I was very active as a student and involved in ASUW and GPSS. In my second year at the Evans School, I was the UW Student Regent.

I have a strong desire to lead and make a difference and have richly benefited at the UW. The PSO board would be an opportunity to give something back. I bring energy, curiosity and fourteen years of UW experience. At the equal opportunity office I trained employees about university conflict/complaint resolution processes and employee workplace rights, including nondiscrimination policies. I was a key player in the distribution of the affirmative action plan and prevention of sexual harassment policies. The history and importance of affirmative action, non-discrimination and equal opportunity are near to my heart. I am proud of my position as curriculum manager at the iSchool, where everyday values such as diversity, collaboration, insight, and team participation are celebrated. My knack for creative problem solving, a positive attitude would serve well in the PSO position. It would enhance my experience and instill continued pride in the UW community.

My reason for running for the PSO Board is to help facilitate communication about opportunities and university initiatives for professional staff. I am currently the chair of the PSO Communications Committee, which produces the biannual newsletter that precedes the spring and fall membership meetings. I have previously served two terms on the PSO Board and one year as the secretary. My work at the university puts me in touch with various parts of the university, as I help coordinate state approval of academic programs for all three campuses. Doing this has helped me learn about the many activities that university engages in. I look forward to learning more and putting that knowledge in service to the PSO in general.

As a UW professional staff member for nearly 10 years and a recent mid-term addition to the PSO Board, I'm eager to continue serving our community during the upcoming term. Since joining the Board in December, I have been further inspired by the commitment of its members to increasing the presence and effectiveness of the PSO. It is my desire to help further the current work of the Board to increase professional development opportunities for staff within the current economic climate, and strengthening the Board as a catalyst for exploring and sharing information regarding policies and legislation potentially impacting our positions and workplace. Thank you for the current opportunity to serve. I would sincerely appreciate your continued support of my participation with the PSO.

I would like to serve on PSO so that I can learn more about the governance of UW and connect with my fellow professionalstaff. I've spent my entire career as professional staff at flagship state research universities. Since March 2008 I have been with UW as Managing Director of the Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis, which is a National Science Foundation Center for Chemical Innovation administered out of UW with participants at 13 universities and National Labs around the U.S. and Canada. Previous to my position at UW, I was a staff scientist at the University of Arizona Department of Chemistry for over 12 years. During my time at Arizona I was very active as a representative and officer in the Appointed Professional Advisory Council, the Arizona governance organization comparable to PSO. I look forward to continuing to learnmore about UW and contributing my skills to PSO.

I have been working on campus in Housing and Food Services for just over ten years and have been excited to see all of the growth and changes we have embraced. The future holds a great deal more challenges and we have the opportunity to impact these changes for positive outcomes. As important members of the campus community it is imperative that we participate in order to impact change. PSO provides a venue for community, information and collaboration and I feel my skills working with diverse groups, collaboration with others and my energy would serve the PSO.

Prior to joining the UW in 2009, I have had over six years of experience working in student affairs and higher education across the country. Since joining the First Year Programs team, I have networked with colleagues across campus and presented regionally about the great work we are accomplishing. My goal would be to be to provide awareness about the PSO board especially to professionals who have just joined the UW community, specifically creating awareness about the vision and core values to the large group of professionals utilizing various methods of technology.

I have worked at the UW since 2001, with Computing & Communications / UW Tech in Seattle from 2001 to 2008 and with Information Technologies in Bothell since 2008. I was an undergraduate in Seattle from 1992 through 1996, and am happy to still be a member of the UW community. I look forward to helping the Pro Staff Organization however I can.

Eliana appreciates the opportunity to serve Harborview's culturally diverse and well respected community. She has strong, culturally fine-tuned interpersonal skills honed by a unique Pan-American upbringing. Eliana lived and worked in both the U.S. and Brazil as an adult. She is truly bilingual and bicultural, fluent in Spanish, and conversational in French and Italian. She spent 15+ years as a trilingual interpreter/translator.

As a leader within the Education Program at UWT, I work diligently running a collegial department where people are valued. I am aware of individual strengths and assists staff through difficulties. I also have strong communication skills, listen well, mediate discussion and synthesize information. I'm sensitive to the needs of the staff, responding to issues in a receptive and perceptive manner, subsequently maintaining a collegial and supportive work environment. I have a strong interest in supporting employees at UW. I've been amember of the University of Washington's President's Advisory Committee on Women as a representative for women on the Tacoma campus. Through my work on this committee and the Governor's Interagency Committee of State Employed Women, I have collaborated with others to improve the state of and environment for all UW women and employees.