MANRRS x MOSAIC 2022
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 | |
11:00-11:15am | Break | |
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 | |
2:00-2:15pm | Break | |
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”



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.

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.

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 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:
