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Classified staff members elect first executive committee

November 12, 2013 By Käri Knutson

Nine employees have been selected by their peers to serve on UW–Madison’s first-ever Classified Staff Executive Committee.

Ballots were mailed in mid-October to the nearly 5,000 employees who make up the classified staff. More than 1,000 votes were cast, with 92 candidates running.

The goal of the committee is to provide shared governance opportunities for classified employees similar to those for academic staff, faculty and students. Previously, all classified staff did not have a formal governance structure at UW–Madison.

The elections were intended to be a diverse and democratic representation of the classified staff. Seven of the seats were created to generate candidates from work groups with more than 200 employees. One seat is dedicated to second- and third-shift representation with another general “at-large” seat.

The winners are:

Administrative support, seat 1: Mary Czynszak-Lyne, university services program associate, College of Letters & Science Honors Program;

Blue collar, seat 2, Mike Bradley, inventory control coordinator, College of Letters & Science;

Building trades, seat 3, Bruce Petters, electrician, Facilities Planning & Management;

Fiscal staff services, seat 4, Linda Meinholz, accountant-senior, Research and Sponsored Programs;

Technical, seat 5, Terry Fritter, animal research technician-advanced, School of Medicine and Public Health;

Science professional, seat 6, Russell Kutz, microbiologist senior, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab;

Classified non-represented staff, seat 7, Patricia Droes, human resources manager, College of Engineering;

2nd or 3rd shift at-large, seat 8, Ron Pond, custodial services supervisor, Facilities Planning & Management;

General at-large, seat 9, Gary Mitchell, university services associate 1, School of Medicine and Public Health.

The group will first meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 at 187 Bascom. The meeting is open to all staff.

The Classified Staff Advisory Committee  oversaw the election with the assistance of interim secretary of the classified staff John Lease. Upon the seating of the elected committee, the advisory committee will be dissolved.  

Candidates who were elected will serve a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years. The exact term, as well as how often the committee is to meet, will be decided by the executive committee.