Women In The Lead 2022

IN this section , we celebrate the invaluable accomplishments , tenacity , and work that women leaders of the valley embody day in and day out.

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MORE SEATS AT THE TABLE

CVTC ’ s first female president seeks to model collaborative , inclusive leadership words by tom giffey

For Sunem Beaton-Garcia, the president of Chippewa Valley Technical College, leadership and collaboration are intertwined.

“Everybody needs to feel that they’re part of something that’s bigger than themselves,” explained Beaton-Garcia, who became the college’s 11th president in 2021. In this, and in her previous roles at educational institutions in Florida, Beaton-Garcia says she has tried to create a supportive environment for those around her.

“While I’m not a sociologist, I can say from my own experiences … that individuals lead from their own experiences and personality traits,” she said, adding she’s seen good leaders who are sociable

extroverts and others who were quiet introverts. “What they all had in commons was they all cared deeply about the work we are doing.”

That’s something Beaton-Garcia has tried to model in her own career, which prior to coming to CVTC involved serving in multiple educational roles, including campus president and vice-provost at Broward College in Florida.

Leadership, she believes, isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool: Especially in day-to-day interactions with her staff, she realizes that some people – because of their level of experience, confidence, or other factors –need more attention or input.

But whatever their place in the organization, she wants to hear

from those who are impacted by decisions. “I sometimes tell my team that I need every voice at this table, and if the table’s not big enough, we need to build a bigger one,” she says.

FEMALE FIRSTS

Beaton-Garcia said she hadn’t dwelled much on the fact that she was CVTC’s first female president until she started the job. She said she’s proud to demonstrate to all students — particularly women and girls — that they have the freedom to see themselves in roles they hadn’t imagined previously.

That extends beyond her office, of course: Beaton-Garcia said she’s glad that CVTC has a track record of hiring female instructors in areas — such as engineering and technical programs — where women are underrepresented. Because these are some of the highest-paying, highest-growth jobs in the region, it’s important to model to women that they can pursue such occupations, she noted.

Similarly, Beaton-Garcia is excited that CVTC is involved in

starting a Women in IT chapter in the region. The organization will extend past the boundaries of the campus as well as the technical college district. Women in IT will have components that will engage K-12 students, college students, as well as women in tech jobs in the are.

“That’s one of the things that we can do is (say) that we need your talent and your voice and your gender in these occupations,” BeatonGarcia said.

As a Latina and an immigrant — her family fled from Cuba to the United States in 1980 when she was 5 years old — Beaton-Garcia said her personal experiences help her related to CVTC’s diverse student body, particularly students and color and immigrants. “I know what it’s like,” she said. “I was the person who translated for their parents as they were learning English.”

She hopes her own career path can serve as an inspiration for others. “Maybe I could have been a number or someone who was less likely to succeed, but nevertheless, here I am,” Beaton-Garcia said.

“EVERYBODY NEEDS TO FEEL THAT THEY’RE PART OF SOMETHING THAT’S BIGGER THAN THEMSELVES.”

– SUNEM BEATON-GARCIA , CVTC PRESIDENT

DAY OF THE RED

four female-fronted businesses honored with grants

words by matthew baughman

This year’s Red Letter Grant finalists were unveiled on Nov. 18, and four female entrepreneurs were chosen out of 28 applications. The Red Letter Grant was created to and aims to support and empower female entrepreneurs, a mission achieved in part through offering annual grants to women-owned businesses in a 10-county area of western Wisconsin. The nominees awarded this time around were chosen from their fall 2022 application pool.

HAIR STUFF BEAUTY SUPPLY, EAU CLAIRE

As an online boutique store, Marquita Davis’ Hair Stuff Beauty

Supply provides people with intentional hair care products. Black and female owned, Red Letter Grant has awarded the hair beauty supply store with one of their four grants in support of Hair Stuff Beauty Supply looking to build a physical location in Eau Claire sometime in the next year.

JOYFUL LAND FARM, ELMWOOD

Joyful Land Farm seeks to educate communities and connect with them in hopes of offering resources necessary for successful gardening. Teresa Davis will offer patrons ways to develop their knowledge in produce growing, harvesting, and seed saving.

LITTLE TURTLES ISR SWIM SCHOOL, CHIPPEWA FALLS

Karlene Ertmer’s goal through the swim school is to educate infants as young as six months with alternative options to traditional swimming lessons. While the overarching objective of the school is to educate infants in swimming techniques, Karlene’s root goal is to help kids develop swimming skills should they ever find themselves in water alone.

STEPHANIE MILLER CANCER DOULA, EAU CLAIRE

Stephanie Miller is a survivor of cancer with experience as a care -

giver to her husband while he too went through his cancer journey.

Because of those experiences, she has created an organization that utilizes her personal experience as a resource. Her practice works to guide both cancer patients and caregivers as they undergo their own trials, offering both education and emotional and mental support.

Each of the four chosen recipients will receive a $2,000 grant and will be highlighting all the applicants in their next newsletter. For more information about the Red Letter Grant, check out their website at www.redlettergrant.org.

UNICORN ECLIPSE

words by sawyer hoff

Since Volume One last chatted with Hleeda and Chia Lor back in May, their online stationery store

Unicorn Eclipse has grown exponentially and released many exciting new products. On top of that, they’ve hired two part-time assistants to help with quality checks and cutting stickers, since business is keeping the sister duo so busy.

All of Unicorn Eclipse’s designs are created by Chia and Hleeda (a former V1 graphic designer!) and they sell their designs in the form of sticky notes, notepads, stickers, bookmarks, and their newest products: cork coasters, linked keychains, pencil cases, note cards, and notebooks. “We are really grateful and proud of ourselves,” Hleeda and Chia said. “We are especially so grateful for our online

community that we have built over the past couple of years in addition to our amazing support system of family and friends.”

The duo just wrapped up their early Black Friday sale but are working on something special for their two-year anniversary, which is coming up this January. They will also be selling their products at UW-Stout for the HMong New Year, which is being hosted by the Hmong Stout Student Organization on Dec. 3 from 10am-5pm in the university’s Multipurpose Room located in the Johnson Fieldhouse.

Both Hleeda and Chia are very passionate about uplifting the voices and work of other local creatives, especially people of color and women. They want to empower other small business owners to take risks and start doing what they truly love, the way both Hleeda and Chia have.

“Don’t be afraid to do what you want,” they said. “It can be scary at first not doing what everyone else is doing or tells you to. It can also be scary not knowing where to start. But genuinely do things because it aligns with your values/passion. There may be people who doubt you or your abilities but stay true to yourself and recognize your worth.

If you have an idea, don’t be afraid to try it out and make it your own. Everything is ‘figure-outable.’ Be willing to learn along the way, invest in building a community, and find your voice in your niche. There is room for everyone.”

To learn more and to browse their products, check out unicorneclipse. com.

PHOTO VIA BLESSINGOPEYEMI.COM

FINDING JOY IN COMMUNITY

acclaimed WRITER and educator at uwec RECEIVES poorman award for outstanding achievement on behalf of lgbtQ + people words by

mckenna scherer

Having joined UW-Eau Claire’s faculty ranks just a few years ago in 2019, Dr. Dorothy Chan’s recognition in receiving this year’s Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People emphasizes their influential efforts in creating a truly safe, inclusive campus climate for the LGBTQ+ community. Chan’s advocacy and solidarity has been felt in waves outside of campus too.

At just age 32, Chan has carved out a space for themself, unabashed in their embrace of their identity, as shown and felt in their work. An incredibly accomplished writer, Chan is set to publish their fifth collection of poetry, Return of the Chinese Femme, sometime in 202324, and they recently celebrated the two-year anniversary of Honey Literary, a literary arts journal and organziation focused on platforming work by femmes and queer folks of color.

As an assistant professor of English at UWEC, a large part of Chan’s work is mentoring students, specifically those in marginalized communities. As faculty advisor of Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) and the QTPOC (queer, transgender, people of color) Student Group at the university, Chan purposefully spends much of their time bonding with students who exist outside of normative spheres.

“(Receiving the Poorman Award) was just a very validating, emotional moment, because I feel that a big part of being an advocate or activist is we believe strongly in our principles but a big part of that is us doing that work because it’s what we ultimately care about most,” Chan explained. “So, to get an award on top of that is just amazing.”

Calling on both their own experiences as a previous student and not seeing many educators or people in higher positions who looked

like them, as well as the experiences shared by peers, friends, and their own students, Chan continues to question and push the current bounds of diversity in education.

“One of the things I said when I got the Poorman Award was, ‘I am very honored to receive this award, but we still have to work a lot harder,’” they recalled. “I think that that is a really big point of emphasis because at the end of the day, (we have to think about) how we can actually create an environment where queer and trans students and faculty of color are not just acknowledged, but actually celebrated.”

Prior to moving to Wisconsin after accepting the teaching position at UWEC, Chan had earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Cornell University, a master’s

degree in creative writing from Arizona State University, and completed their doctoral studies in creative writing and poetry at Florida State University. Chan recalls their time at Cornell with warmth, but said it was there they realized life outside of school would be hard.

Having been part of a variety of editorial mastheads and often being the only person of color and/or queer person part of them, and being a professional in a white-dominated field, Chan said there has been no shortage of uncomfortable situations stemming from their identity. This barrier is something their work actively resists and pushes against.

“I want to clarify, yes, I have met allies along the way. Unfortunately, sometimes our negative experiences can overtake our positive ones,

and they’re the ones that can really stick and lead into greater points of trauma,” Chan explained. “I have seen so many writers of color who have to put in at least five times or 10 times the amount of work just to get an ounce of the recognition a white writer might, and that’s the thing that becomes really hard, and what I like to call the ‘minority tax.’ ”

Chan explained the minority tax as the heavier load folks of color and queer people take on simply by existing in multiple intersections, and while there is so much beauty to be found and given from that, it is also a barrier in our current world.

“I think one of the hardest things in the world when you’re a queer femme of color – in my case, since I identify as non-binary and am a femme of color – is the fact that things are always going to be harder, period,” Chan said. “There are moments when you are celebrated, but the literary world and world in general is still an extremely white, cis-het, heternormative, able-bodied space, and the world can be very cruel.”

Yet Chan continues to make strides in their professional and personal life to disrupt the institutions of power that hinder marginalized communities. Chan said they strive for young people of color to achieve everything they dream of and to do so with fewer struggles than those who came before them. “When I talk to young people of color, I always say, ‘Remember where your strength actually comes from; a certain truth prevails in your culture and identity.’”

Joy is something that keeps that fire and hope for a better world, alive. Chan said they love seeing their friends and peers succeed and sharing that joy. “I think that, again, communities of color, we have this special bond and it’s really beautiful.”

"WHEN I TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR, I ALWAYS SAY, 'REMEMBER WHERE YOUR STRENGTH ACTUALLY COMES FROM; A CERTAIN TRUTH PREVAILS IN YOUR CULTURE AND IDENTITY."

UWEC PHOTO

LEADING LIGHTS

UW SYSTEM HONORS UWEC AND UW-STOUT PROFESSORS

words by v1 staff

The Chippewa Valley is fortunate to have many people who labor day in and day out to improve the equality of our institutions, our community, and our world. Here are three who were recently honored for their work at UW System institutions in the region.

DR. STACEY JACKSON

Dr. Stacey Jackson, an assistant professor of psychology at UW-Eau Claire, is among the recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award from the UW System.

The award is given annually to faculty, staff, students or community members to recognize their achievements in advancing equity and inclusion for people of color within the UW System and communities across the state.

“It is an absolute honor to receive the Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award from the UW System,” Jackson says. “This award is just one instance where my work, efforts and, most importantly, my identity as a Black woman has been celebrated, accepted and validated within academia. And for that, I am truly thankful.”

Jackson says she became an educator because she wants to have an impact on the lives of everyone she engages with. She takes “very seriously” the trust that UWEC has placed in her to foster academic excellence in all students, she says.

“I recognize that for some students, less than favorable race-related experiences within an academic environment make it extremely challenging to be successful,” Jackson says.

Her own experiences are helping shape how she goes about her work, Jackson says. Several “less than favorable” experiences within academic environments due to her race left her doubting her intellectual abilities and questioning her value and worth within academia, she says.

“It was these experiences that motivated me to become an educator,” Jackson says. “I knew my identity as a Black woman was needed to be seen not just by Black students, but all students, faculty, and staff.”

Jackson teaches undergraduate psychology courses and a graduate counseling course. She incorporates her expertise in African American mental health into her courses and includes topics such as multicultural psychology and cul-

tural issues in abnormal psychology. Her class assignments include counseling the culturally diverse, which exposes her students to culturally diverse material. A course Jackson created, Black Psychology, has been in high demand since she began teaching it.

DR. ALEXANDRA HALL

Alexandra Hall, M.D., a senior lecturer at UW-Stout, is one of 12 honorees for the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People. Hall teaches in the biology department and is the prehealth pathway adviser for students in the applied biochemistry and molecular biology and applied science programs.

The Dr. P.B. Poorman Award is given to people in the LGBTQIA+ community who have helped to create a safer and more inclusive climate. It celebrates the memory and legacy of Paula B. Poorman, a faculty member at UW-Whitewater who dedicated her life to improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ people. (UW-Eau Claire’s Dorothy Chan, who is profiled on page 70 of this issue, also received the Poorman Award this year.)

Hall received the award for her contributions to LGBTQIA+ advocacy, activism, and scholarship that enhances the experiences of and improves the climate for people.

“The work for LGBTQIA+ students that I am proudest of is my accomplishment of making transgender medical care available not only here at Stout but also at many of the other UW System campuses,” Hall said.

Before her arrival at UW-Stout in 2012, Hall trained the first physician to provide hormone therapy for transgender students at a student health center in the UW System. She was working at Cornell University in New York and trained Dr. Becky Byers, who was at UW-Madison at the time.

At UW-Stout, Hall trained and consulted with many other UW System student health center clinicians, mental health providers, and student affairs personnel. She also held workshops and presentations at other campuses and for area community health care providers.

“I felt really fortunate to be supported by Stout in that work, and we created a good, integrated system here on campus to provide trans-inclusive

health care,” Hall said.

When UW-Stout’s Student Health Services began its partnership with Prevea Health in January 2022, Hall no longer worked at student health but continued teaching in the biology department. Hall trained the university’s new provider, Physician Assistant Marissa Talmadge, so that Talmadge could continue to provide trans-inclusive health care on campus.

Hall feels that there is a misperception by many students that with her departure, student health no longer provides trans care. “That is entirely false,” she said. “I feel really proud that we were able to work together with Prevea to make sure that trans care remains available for students here.”

Masako Onodera

UW-Stout Professor Masako Onodera is one of 13 honorees of the UW System’s Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award.

Onodera teaches metals and contemporary art jewelry in the art and art history department in the School of Art and Design.

Onodera was awarded for her contributions to improving the status and climate for women and people of color and to advancing the work of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“I believe in the power of the act of making art and have taught it in and out of my classes for over 15 years. As a professor of art, it is a great honor to be named as an Outstanding Women of Color in Education,” Onodera said. “It sometimes feels as though art isn’t appreciated as a teaching subject in higher education. That makes this honor even more meaningful.

“Although I appreciate the recognition, I hope that women of color in education someday will not need to be given a special status in the UW System,” she added.

UW-Stout’s Focus2030 strategic plan includes five goals, including inclusive excellence by investing in, and ensuring access to, equitable, diverse and inclusive learning, student living and work environments that reflect the university’s regional and global connections; and fostering employee success through an equitable environment that invests in, supports, encourages and values diverse faculty and staff development opportunities.