Elizabeth Baldridge, Graduate Program Manager

Academic Staff since 2019–Coordinator of Academic Support Services working with learning support services/programs across the university 2019-2021 and Graduate Program Manager in the Department of Physics 2021-present. University service: Badgers AIM, Facilitator; UW Department of Physics Climate & Diversity Committee, Member; Leadership Certificate Review Committee, Reviewer; College of Letters & Science Freshman Scholarship Review Team, Reviewer.

I would be pleased to serve and represent my district on the University Academic Staff Assembly. I see this opportunity as one to not only act as advocate for all academic staff, but get to know others and the concern of others across the university and impact positively the ways in which staff from various backgrounds and disciplines experience their work on campus. The majority of my work in higher education has been as a member of academic staff; although I have primarily worked in areas of academic advising, academic support, and teaching and learning, many of my interests in higher education revolve around higher education policy and contributing to policies, practices, and environments that support access, well-being, success, and retention for those across our campus community (this includes our academic staff).

I enjoy learning to understand and view my role often as a communicator and a collaborator.  I am committed to listening, identifying common ground, and advocating for decisions that allow folx and the various shared governance groups to achieve common goals and allow academic staff to best do their work and support the academic programming and development of the institution. I will represent academic staff and ensure their voices are heard.

Sara Hladilek, Senior Student Services Coordinator

Hi, I am Sara Hladilek and I am interested in serving as a representative for the Academic Staff Assembly District #415. I look forward to being an advocate for the District 415 staff and the issues important to our membership.

I bring a wealth of knowledge and many viewpoints due to my years of service with programs small and large, as well as representing staff at both a college and university level.

Since 2016, I have been working with the PhD and MS (131 and 101) programs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics. I also work with the interdisciplinary MS – Design + Innovation program. I work with the day to day program management operations from prospective students/admissions through graduation, governance processes, policies, curriculum, problem-solving, and much more.

I have been the alternate district representative in my prior Academic Staff Assembly district since March 2022. I am also on the College of Engineering CASI where I served as CASI Chair this past 2022 – 2023 academic year. 

I truly hope to be one of your representatives this next year and look forward to serving you.

Angela Thorp, Graduate Program Manager

It has been my privilege to participate in shared governance, first as member of the University Staff Congress when university staff were granted representation in shared governance and more recently as alternate and then district rep for district 490. I also served as a university staff representative on the Committee for Women in the University.   I would be honored to continue to serve as representative ASA for the newly formed district 415.  Shared governance is a way to give voice to students, university staff, academic staff, and faculty.  I have seen the influence of governance bodies when it comes to shaping policies or putting forth new ideas for consideration by human resources and the office of the Chancellor.  Recommendations and resolutions of the ASA and other shared governance bodies may be advisory, but they do plant seeds for change; they increase campus leadership’s awareness of the needs of the campus community, which sometimes leads to concrete change. 

To maximize the impact of the Academic Staff Assembly there is a need for 2- way communication between representatives and their districts. If I am elected district 415 representative, I pledge to increase the ease of two-way flow of communication so the opinions of constituents can be given voice in the Academic Staff Assembly.  A strength I have is the ability to respectfully speak up about issues and to ask questions of campus leadership when they attend Academic Staff Assembly, without being intimidated by the inherent power differential.

Brief bio:
UW-Madison.  BA Biological Aspects of Conservation
George Mason University MS Biology/ Aquatic Ecology
16 years of service as the Graduate Coordinator/Graduate Program Manager in Computer Sciences Dept.

I would be honored to continue my service to the university as the ASA representative for the newly formed District 415.