Board of Trustees Announces Presidential Search Firm, Committee

Madison, Wis. (November 11, 2019) – The Board of Trustees at Edgewood College has announced the members of the Presidential Search Committee. The committee will work closely with Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, a search firm specializing in higher education and non-profit organizations. The Committee has been tasked with steering the search for the College’s next president. Interim President Mary Ellen Gevelinger, O.P., Ed.D. took over the leadership of the College in September.

Mary Schmoeger is a member of the Board of Trustees, and serves as the Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. She is the former President of Personal Lines at American Family Insurance where she spent 20 years of her career.  Prior to her role as President, Mary was the executive accountable for a number of business areas and was responsible for leading executive and board member recruitment. 

Jeff Bartell is a member of the Board of Trustees. Until his retirement in 2008, he was the managing partner of the Madison office of the law firm of Quarles and Brady, which he opened in 1983.  He was formerly Wisconsin Commissioner of Securities and a Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General.  Jeff is currently a member of the Board of Governors of the Madison Community Foundation.  He served on the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents from 2006 to 2013.

Mark Lowry is a member of the Board of Trustees. He is a 1977 graduate of Edgewood College, and competed in Men’s Basketball during his undergraduate years. He currently serves as President of VOS Management and Consulting Solutions, based in Chicago. He has significant experience in Marketing and Strategic Development in non-profit organizations, including more than 20 years in senior leadership with The First Tee where he recently retired as VP of Network Management. He was inducted into the Edgewood College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.

Tracy Schweitzer is a member of the Board of Trustees. She joined American Family Insurance in 1997 as a claim adjuster and then moved to Human Resources where she held several roles working closely with Personal Lines and Sales. She became HR’s director of organizational effectiveness in 2014 and added change leadership to her accountabilities in 2016. Tracy was named Talent Development Vice President in 2017. Currently, she serves as Chief of Staff, Vice President to the CEO at American Family. Tracy has a master’s degree in management from Cardinal Stritch University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from UW-La Crosse.  

Becky Splitt is a member of the Board of Trustees. She has more than 25 years of experience in leading and growing technology businesses, with half of that time spent in education technology. She currently serves as Executive Chair and Head of Strategic Initiatives with StudyBlue, Inc. a mobile, social study platform that has crowd-sourced more than 300 million study notes to date for more than 9 million students from middle school to medical school. Becky joined the StudyBlue team in 2009 as the company’s first CEO to bring her global experience in growing start up and emerging market businesses—straight to the education industry, and moved into the role of Executive Chairman in August 2014. Becky currently serves on numerous boards, both nonprofit and public, and actively consults in the startup and technology realms.

John Fields is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Edgewood College. As a long-standing (23 years) member of the Edgewood College community, he has taught Philosophy as well as serving as a department chair, chair of the assessment committee, chair of the general education implementation task force, and served for six years as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition, John has chaired three successful searches: one for a faculty member, one for a Dean, and one for the current Vice President for Academic Affairs. John has also served as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. That organization is a statewide peace education consortium of 22colleges, universities, and UW branch campuses.

Jake Griffin is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences currently in his ninth year at Edgewood College. He currently serves as Program Director of Environmental Studies and as faculty mentor for the student organization Woods Edge.  Jake has served as a member of the Program Prioritization Commission, as Convener of Faculty Association in the 2018-’19 academic year, and is currently a member of the Campus Sustainability Coordinating Team.

Shaunda Brown-Rivera serves as the Director of Student Inclusion and Involvement at Edgewood College. She has been at the College for two years. Shaunda is committed to creating equitable educational environments that center the experiences of students with marginalized identities and provides enriching experiences that actively promote social justice, civic engagement, and fun. In her role, she is responsible for the oversight of campus programming, leadership development, orientation, and student multicultural affairs.

Kari Gribble is Assistant V.P. for Enrollment Management, overseeing Financial Aid and Undergraduate Admissions. Prior to this role, Kari served as the Director of Financial Aid at Edgewood College for 17 years and has been actively involved throughout the campus during her tenure. Kari is passionate about removing administrative burdens and simplifying processes so  students can have exceptional experiences.

Alex Okelue  is from Madison, and is currently a sophomore at Edgewood College. He is majoring in Psychology with a clinical counseling concentration. In addition to being a resident assistant in Marshall Hall, he is the Vice President of the Black Student Union.

Kathleen Phelan, O.P. has been a vowed member of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa for 53 years. Her years of ministry include teaching and serving in leadership in Dominican-sponsored high schools for 25 years in Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago. She holds degrees from Edgewood College, the University of San Diego, and the University of San Francisco. She served two terms in elected administrative leadership of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa on both the provincial and general council levels.

Sydney Wilcox is a senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Business.  Sydney is currently serving her second term as Student Senate President and is passionate about using her voice and role to advocate for students on campus. She also spends time volunteering with various political organizations and campaigns.

Aneidys Reyes is a graduate student at Edgewood College pursuing a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Currently, Anei is a clinical intern at Anesis Center for Marriage and Family Therapy in Madison. As a therapist, Anei has specialized knowledge in working with Spanish-speakers, individuals exploring their gender identity and sexuality, and those affected by HIV/AIDS.
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