Veena L. Brown, PhD., CPA is the Director of Accounting Programs and Associate Professor of Accounting in the Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Veena is a first-generation college graduate from Trinidad, West Indies, and a Certified Public Accountant (FL) with over twenty years of professional experience. She is a member of the American Accounting Association (AAA), the premier accounting organization for accountants in academia; the current President (2023-24) of the Diversity Section of the AAA; and an Advisory Council member of the UWS Supplemental Retirement (403b) Program. She mentors PhD students and Assistant Professors in the KPMG PhD Project, an organization committed to growing a diverse faculty pool. Mentor: Tina Freiburger
Kiera Cabrera is an Admissions and Operations Advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. After earning her BA in Criminal Justice and Spanish, Kiera moved to Milwaukee from Iowa to pursue her first professional career out of college in 2022. In her free time, she enjoys being active and has passions for soccer, lifting, and especially pickleball. Mentor: Louis Molina
Ke’Andra Hagans is a clinical assistant professor, social work field liaison, and program coordinator for school social work in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a licensed clinical social worker and school social worker. Throughout her career, Ke’Andra has focused on serving children, families, and individuals in a variety of capacities, including as a psychotherapist, group facilitator, school social worker, and clinical director. Mentor: Natasha Borges Sugiyama
Dr. Pamela E. Harris is a Mexican-American mathematician and serves as Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. An award winning mathematical educator, Dr. Harris was the 2022 recipient of the MAA Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics, and she is a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and of the Association for Women in Mathematics. Mentor: Jennifer Doering
Xin Huang is an associate professor and Chair in Women’s and Gender Studies at UWM. She writes on the transformation of gender ideas in the Mao and post-Mao eras through archiving and analyzing the oral and visual life narratives of women lived through the Mao era. As a translator and scholar writing about China in English, Xin Huang has also been working on feminist epistemology, Anglophone dominance, and the linguistic politics in feminist knowledge construction. Mentor: Thomas Malaby
Shawndrika Hazelwood joined UWM in 2017. In her current role as HR Business Partner, she manages all human resources functions for the Lubar College of Business, including leadership advising and consultation, recruitments, employee relations, onboarding, and many other HR services to ensure compliance in accordance with policy and law. Shawn received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UW-Milwaukee and an MBA from Concordia University Wisconsin. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Mentor: Cathy Rossi
Alejandra Lopez is the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Student Services in the Lubar College of Business. She joined UWM in 2012 and has over 15 years of experience working in higher education. In Alejandra’s current role she is focused on providing support to academic advisors, oversees mentoring and student success focused programming, and leads initiatives to help increase student engagement and belonging in the Lubar College of Business. Mentor: Kay Eilers
Maria Gleason-Maddox is an Academic Advisor in the College of Letters & Science. After obtaining her BA in Spanish at UWM, she earned an MA in International Education at Middlebury Institute of International Studies and anticipates completing her Spanish MA this fall at her alma mater. In her free time, she enjoys writing, traveling, and singing along to 90’s tunes. Mentor: Adam Jussel
Karen Miyoshi joined UWM in 2007 and currently works as an administrative manager in the Zilber College of Public Health. She is a California native and graduated from UC Santa Barbara. Karen has a bachelor’s degree in Economics/Mathematics and a master’s degree in Urban Geography. Mentor: Sarah McDonald
Dominique Smith is the Coordinator of Student Appeals in the Dean of Students office at UWM. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and went on to receiving her Master’s at Cardinal Stritch University. Dominique Smith enjoys doing pretty much anything that is fun, and enjoys spending time with family and friends. Mentor: Marc Young