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2022: MANRRS x MOSAIC: Strengthening Agriculture by Growing Ourselves

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Planting Seeds: Strengthening Agriculture by Growing Ourselves

MOSAIC teamed up with the UW-Madison chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) to host a day of programming here on the UW-Madison campus for the UW BIPOC community and ~30 students from Vincent High School of Agricultural Science (a Milwaukee, WI public high school that connects agriculture with science and technology). We chose the theme “Planting Seeds: Strengthening Agriculture by Growing Ourselves” in the interest of professional development and personal growth within our community. We would be honored by your attendance for any and all portions of the day!

More information can be found in the following schedule regarding each event.

Timeline Event
9:30-10:00am
(30 minutes)		Welcome and Introductions (Speaker: CALS Chief Diversity Officer Louis Macias)
Biochemistry Lecture Hall 1120
10:00-11:00am
(60 minutes)		Workshop 1: Impostor Syndrome with Binnu Palta Hill, MBA
Biochemistry Lecture Hall 1120
11:00-11:15amBreak
11:15-12:15pm
(60 minutes)		Workshop 2: Strategies for Research Success with Dr. Jenny Faust
Biochemistry Lecture Hall 1120
12:15-1:15pm
(60 minutes)		Lunch 
Steenbock Library: Biocommons
1:15-2:00pm
(45 minutes)		Panel: “My Perfectly Imperfect Non-Linear Career in Agricultural Science”

Featuring
Dr. Leslie Holland (UW Plant Pathology)
Manika Clemente, M.S. (Promega)
Donale Richards, BSc (Michael Fields Institute)

Facilitator: Guolong Liang (MS Student, UW Hort)

Microbial Sciences Building: Ebling Symposium Center
Hybrid option available for panel only: Zoom link shared with registration
2:00-2:15pmBreak
2:15-3:30pm
(75 minutes)		StrengthsFinder Assessment
Facilitator: Maria Ahmad, MS Director of Multicultural Student Center

Microbial Sciences Building: Ebling Symposium Center
3:30-4:00
(30 minutes)		Post-event socializing with dessert and coffee
Microbial Sciences Building: Ebling Symposium Center

Panelists: “My Perfectly Imperfect Non-Linear Career in Agricultural Science”

Donale Richards was born in Madison, WI and raised by many family members from America, Jamaica, and the Gambia. He received a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering from UW-Madison in 2017 and has since focused his work educating communities on food and agricultural systems. He started MFS in 2019 to help family members turn their passion for cooking into a business. One day, he hopes to operate a farm-to-table restaurant and help other entrepreneurs along the way.
Manika Clemente (she/they) is a Production Scientist in the Molecular & Cellular Biology Reporters (MCBR) department at Promega. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Bachelor of Science in Biology from Wheaton College (IL) and graduated with a Masters in Biotechnology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in May 2021. When they’re not busy in the lab, Manika is deeply involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work at Promega and is a musician in the company band.
Leslie Holland is an Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist in the department of Plant Pathology at UW-Madison. Her research centers on the diagnosis, epidemiology, and management of diseases in fruit crops, with a specialization in fungal diseases. Her current research includes fungal disease complex etiology, the re-emergence of a phytoplasma disease in cranberry, and optimization of fungicide programing for disease resistant hybrid grapes. Her extension program translates these research findings into practical solutions to improve the productivity and sustainability of fruit crop production. During her graduate research, she studied fungi associated with canker diseases of perennial fruit crops, and received her PhD and MS in Plant Pathology from UC Davis and Washington State University, respectively.

Speakers & Facilitators

Dr. Louis Macias (he/him) serves as the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). In this role, Louis is leading the creation of the CALS Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and exploring ways to maximize positive impact by aligning the College’s actions with its values, existing needs and strategic priorities.
Dr. Macias has spent his entire career as an educator. He began his career as a middle and high school social studies teacher, a cherished role he held for 6 years. For the last 14 years, he has served in a number of formal leadership roles in higher education at universities in Florida and at UW-Madison, where he has been since 2015. Prior to joining CALS, Louis served as the Executive Director of Recruitment, Diversity and Inclusion for the UW-Madison Police Department. Among other accomplishments, Louis led the creation and development of the UWPD Equity Dashboard, which successfully launched in December 2021. Earlier in his career, Louis held other professional roles in areas such as academic advising, pre-college programs, admissions/enrollment management, fundraising and diversity, equity and inclusion, among others. Through this work, Louis has had the opportunity to continue cultivating his passion to lead the creation of spaces where people can individually and collectively realize their greatest potential.
Dr. Macias earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Florida State University, his master’s degree in K-12 Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and his doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from Florida State University. Having moved to Madison from his hometown of Miami, Florida in 2015, Louis now resides in the Madison area with his wife and two young daughters.

Binnu Palta Hill has spent the last 24 years in the UW System teaching, consulting and designing programming that enhances inclusion by leveraging strategic leadership and organizational cultural dexterity. Since 2008, she has led The Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Wisconsin School of Business where she works closely with the Dean to develop a DEI strategy with the goals of enhancing diversity among students, faculty and staff, and fostering an inclusive culture. A distinguishing factor in her approach is the combination of academic research and lived experience to dissect core issues related to identity differences. This approach is apparent in the Diversity Lunch and Learn Series she founded in 2010. Ms. Hill teaches inclusive leadership in the Wisconsin MBA Programs, and serves as the director of DEI programs for the Center for Executive and Professional Development.
In May 2015, Ms. Hill represented WSB at the White House as Wisconsin became one of the first business schools to commit to best practices for increasing opportunities in business for women and preparing a culturally competent 21st century workforce. She has also served on a number of advisory boards such as the WI Governor’s Youth Summit, Information Technology Academy and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. In recognition for her contributions to UW-Madison and the Madison community, she has received several awards including the UW-Madison Outstanding Woman of Color award, Wisconsin Innovation Award, the Wisconsin Alumni Association Leadership Award.
Ms. Hill has been a guest speaker at over 100 conferences throughout the United States and Europe, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), Women and Leadership Symposium, and AACSB International Diversity Forum. She has served as a consultant for culture and inclusion for over two dozen corporations including Cooper Robertson, Grant Thornton, and M3 Insurance. Her engagements range from one-hour keynotes to recurrent hands-on workshops on topics such as the impact of diverse identities on workplace interactions, conflict resolution, negotiation, employee engagement, innovation and consciously cultivating inclusion through inclusive leadership. She has been a featured speaker in National Broadcasting Association’s Leadership Lab series. Her work on ‘Building Inclusive Business Cultures” has also been featured in The Capital Times, Biz Education and NBC15 news.
Dr. Jenny Faust joined UW-Madison and the former Office of Quality Improvement in October 2016, as a consultant. Prior to that, she served as the assistant to the president for student success and director of the Office of the First-Year Experience at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Additionally, she was the associate vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Fullerton, where she was responsible for all aspects of faculty affairs and faculty development as well as leadership development for department chairs, and the assistant vice president for academic personnel at California State University, Los Angeles.
As the associate vice provost for strategic initiatives and the director of the Office of Strategic Consulting, Faust leads a talented staff of consultants and project managers who assist departments and programs across the university on process improvement, business process redesign, strategic planning, organizational (re)design, meeting facilitation, departmental culture and climate, professional development and change management.
The common thread running through her career in higher education, from faculty member to academic administrator, is a commitment to faculty, staff, and student success in high quality academic programs. Dr. Faust holds a doctorate in philosophy and has over 25 years’ experience in higher education.
Maria Ahmad serves as the Assistant Director for Leadership and Involvement at Multicultural Student Center. In this role, Maria oversees the MSC intern program, development of over 25 multicultural student organizations, general facilities management of the MSC space, and leadership and professional development opportunities for student leaders. Maria brings experience from her previous position as the Coordinator of Student Life and Campus Diversity at Indiana University Kokomo, and her education. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University, and her Masters in Student Affairs at Northern Illinois University where she served as the Graduate Advisor for student organization support and leadership.
Maria is involved in NASPA Knowledge Communities, and chairs the regional IV-E KC on Religion, Faith, and Spirituality. She also works with the National Muslim Students Association Board as the Higher Education liaison. She is passionate about helping students get involved on campus and build community while also developing into strong leaders and friends who work to make the world a better place for all.

A map of our event locations below:

This article was posted in Events.
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