Dear TU staff,
Today is the last day to vote for your TU Staff Council.
To access the survey located on the TUSC SharePoint site, login with your TU email and password. When you arrive at the TUSC 2017 Elections site, please click “Respond to this Survey.”
If you have issues accessing the survey, please use the ‘Request Access’ button on the page or email Kay Kazinski (kkazinski@towson.edu).
What is TU Staff Council?
TUSC is the advocate body for all University staff employees. Through its advisory role with the University President, TUSC seeks to further the prominence of the University by promoting the value and talents of its staff employees. TUSC represents the interests of all staff, all categories, all departments, exempt and non-exempt, full-time and part-time. If you have a concern about parking, pay, benefits or anything else, TUSC works as your liaison between staff and University leadership. www.towson.edu/tusc
Who are the Candidates?
The candidates were nominated by staff to represent a division or job category. Prior to voting, please take a few moments to review the candidates’ biographies below (listed alphabetically and the descriptions were provided by the candidates):
Lauren Averell: I am currently in my 5th year at Towson University and before working in the President’s Office, I worked in University Advancement. I am a 2010 Towson University Alumna with a degree in Mass Communication: PR and Advertising. In spring 2017, I will graduate with my master’s in Communication Management from TU. I am a proud Towson Tiger!
Dena Barnwell: As an administrative assistant for Auxiliary Services’ Finance and Information Systems department, I support the director of finance in his management of budgets, contracts and other functions. I’m also a student pursuing an undergrad degree in science, a volunteer financial coach with Baltimore CASH, and a court appointed advocate for children in the foster care system. I’m excited that someone thought me worthy of a nomination for TUSC and I’d love the opportunity to advocate for the interests and needs of all staff members.
LaVern Chapman: I am an exempt staff person in the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity – which is a part of the executive division – and provide training and resources related to diversity & inclusion, as well as respond to bias incidents & hate crimes. Additionally, I provide guidance with faculty searches and subsequent affirmative action reporting. Before coming to Towson, I was at UMCP as director of career programming within the business school and served as a member UMCP’s campus equity council. Prior to UMCP, I facilitated career transition workshops for diverse separating military personnel at various military sites primarily in the MD/DC/VA area. As a TU alum, I am excited about the trajectory of Towson and honored to serve as a TUSC representative for diversity.
Casey Cooper: I am an exempt staff member in the Division of Student Affairs. I am a Career Counselor in the Career Center helping to prepare students for their professional goals and facilitate the connection between students, faculty, and employers. I completed my Masters at Towson and have work her for over four years.
Tammy Cross: I have been at Towson University for over 7 years. When I arrived at Towson I was an Executive Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Provost and 4 years ago transitioned to the Office of Academic Innovation. In my 7 years, I have come to love the faculty, staff, students, and the overall Towson community. If nominated I look forward to serving the Towson staff in any way possible.
Lauren Edwards: Lauren Edwards is the Web Services Coordinator in the Office of Alumni Relations (exempt). I have been working at TU for about 5 months now. Prior to working here, I attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, in Madison, NJ, where I received my BA in Communication Studies in 2015 and my MA in Corporate & Organizational Communication in 2016. I also worked as a graduate assistant at FDU which certainly equipped me with the skills I’d need to be successful at my current job. Throughout my 5 months of being here I have attended various university events and became a member of the BFSA. I want to continue to be an active participant in the university community and would be honored to serve on the TUSC.
Stephanie Flanagan: It has been by pleasure to work for Towson University since May 2013. I am currently working in the University Admissions office as an Administrative Assistant and love every minute of it. I also have the honor of being a TU Mom. My two daughters currently attend TU and my son will join them in the fall. TU is not just a job for me; it is a community I serve. I would like to expand that service through TUSC. I am also an avid sports fan (Go Tigers!) and in my spare time I enjoy cooking and gardening.
Carol Green-Willis: I am an IT Field Support Specialist within the Division of Administration and Finance. She has severed as a non-exempt employee for approximately 20 years and is dedicated to the betterment of the TU campus. Over the years, she has been an engaged member of the campus community. Carol is a member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association and was the Interim-Treasurer in 2015-2016. Carol is a wife, mother, grandmother of 2. She serves as Elder and Board of Trustee as secretary at her church. Carol would like to continue her service by becoming an active and engaged member of the TU Staff Council in getting our TU members to have the best experience they can have on and around the campus and Towson community.
Shari Groover: I joined the Office of Alumni Relations under the division of University Advancement as the Executive Administration Assistant in June 2015. She is a non-exempt staff member who brings years of event management and administration experience including serving the Office of Conference Services at St. John’s University where she received her B.S. degree in Public Relations and Event Management.
Dorothy Hersey: I am the Assistant Transportation Manager in the Parking and Transportation Department (Admin & Finance Division), in an exempt position. I have been with the University for two and a half years and have been mostly on the private side of public transportation otherwise.
Kelly Hughes: I’ve been at Towson for just under 2 years, and in International Higher Ed for over 10. My favourite things about Towson are its engaged students, the sense of community, and my talented colleagues.
Theresa Jenkins: Currently, I am the Manager of Technology, Facilities and Events for the College of Liberal Arts. For over 11 years, my career at Towson can be summed up as advocating for faculty, staff and students to ensure that they have what they need to make their time at Towson University as successful as possible; whether that be providing the appropriate technology, being a liaison for them with other departments/companies, or bringing processes that can be streamlined/consolidated to the attention of the CLA Dean for implementation or further discussions with leadership.
Gay Pinder: Gay is a two-time graduate of TU having received her B.S. and M.A. from TU. She has been a TU staff member for more than six years where she acts as director of media relations, and also serves as an adjunct professor for MCOM and EMF. Prior to coming to TU, Gay worked as a television producer for non-fiction cable television networks, including Discovery, HGTV and Food Network. During her previous TUSC tenure, she has concentrated her interest on TU policies and processes.
Conor Reynolds: I graduated from TU in May 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He returned to Towson in October 2016 to lead the University’s award winning student philanthropy program.
Judy Rixham: I started at Towson University in April 2014 as an Office Clerk II in the Registrar’s Office, moved in December 2014 to the CPP office in the College of Education in December 2014 as an Admin. Assistant I, and have made my goal move to the Division of Student Affairs in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs as a (non-exempt) Executive Administrative Assistant this past November (2016). I am also working on the Staff Development Conference Committee as the Chairperson of the Marketplace for the second year.
Earline Rogers: I am a TU alumni who majored in Accounting. I currently work for Student Affairs – Campus Rec as a budget manager since October 2013.
Briana Rostkowski: I have been a TU staff member for 10 years, spending most of that time within the College of Health Professions. As a dedicated member of the TU community, she is seeking this opportunity to more actively participate in campus discourse and advocate for progressive support of university staff. Briana currently holds the position of Admissions Counselor in the Department of Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science, and spends most of her free time participating in various creative endeavors and taking course work toward the completion of TU’s Professional Writing M.S. program.
Jennifer Scott: I attended Towson University as an undergraduate and a graduate student and have been employed by TU for eight years, beginning as a student employee, a graduate assistant and presently as a staff member in the Provost’s Budget Office. It has been an honor to serve on the TU staff council for the last three years and I would love to be able to continue representing fellow staff members.
Grady Sheffield: I have worked at TU since 2010 where I serve as the Director of Campus Recreation and has over 17 years of experience working in higher education. Having worked at both private and state institutions prior to Towson, Grady believes that his current and past experience as an administrator will add value to the membership of TUSC. He believes that all staff members are vital to the success of the University and will advocate on their behalf to ensure that the values and talents they possess are promoted equally.
Crystal Tenan: Deputy ADA Coordinator Crystal Tenan has worked for Towson University for the past 3 years. She is a Texas native with a B.S. and M.S. from Baylor University in Education and a M.S. from Towson University in Applied Information Technology. Crystal loves spending time with her little tiger (4 ½ month old Landon), husband and their furry friends Chessi (dog) and Jackson (cat).
Christine Tennies: In December 2016, I became a regular-exempt employee in the Office of Technology Services. My title now is Academic and Student Technologies Analyst. Prior to that, I worked at TU as a contractual business analyst in the Division of Innovation and Applied Research for 8 years. After serving in the United States Army after high school for 3 years, I went on to Franklin and Marshall College where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
