


Keynote Presentation
Mark Guthier, Director of the Wisconsin Union, delivered the keynote presentation, “From Vision to Reality: The Transformation of the Wisconsin Union.” In it, he shared highlights and lessons learned from the journey to restore the historic Memorial Union and re-imagine Union South—a 10-year endeavor that was successfully completed last year and has been receiving positive reviews.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session A
Collaborative by Design: Tech Tools and Tips for Working Well with Others
Technology offers a wide range of solutions that promise to take the difficulty and dread out of teamwork. During this session, participants explored the benefits and drawbacks these various tools have on our collective efforts. The session focused specifically on communication, project management, conferencing, and document sharing.
Presenter: Jonathan Henkel, Student Information and Technology Manager, School of Nursing
Breakout Session B
The Transformative Design Approach to Problem-Solving
This session introduced participants to the Transformative Design Initiative at the School of Human Ecology. Transformative design creates purposeful change by asking what matters and why. This approach incorporates design thinking and supports a culture of collaboration and innovation, which contributes towards the systemic transformation of services, products, and processes in response to societal needs and challenges.
Presenter: Lesley Sager, Faculty Associate, Director of the Design Thinking Initiative, Coordinator of the Interior Architecture Program, School of Human Ecology
Breakout Session C
Quick Process Improvement Methods
In this session, participants explored different types of process improvement methodologies and focused on several that can be accomplished in a short amount of time. Transportation Services staff also shared their experiences with a Kaizen project.
Presenters:
- Jim Thompson, Internal Consultant, Office of Strategic Consulting
- Stefanie Freyberger, Internal Consultant, Office of Strategic Consulting
- Kim Henderson, Citation Appeals & Special Events Manager, Transportation Services
- Tony Hansbro, Special Events/Appeals Supervisor, Transportation Services
Breakout Session D
Planning and Leading Effective Meetings
During this interactive session, participants learned a three-step approach to designing and facilitating effective meetings. They were able to benefit from professional meeting facilitators with decades of clinical experience, as well as fellow attendees.
Presenters:
- Darin Harris, Internal Consultant, Office of Strategic Consulting
- Kala Grove, Academic Advisor, Cross-College Advising Service