Meet the Women in Science and Engineering Staff
Chris Brus - Director of WISE
319-335-3511, Email Chris
Chris was born in Nebraska and is a true Midwesterner, having lived in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and yes, she LOVES snow! As the second director of WISE, Chris took the reins in October of 1998 and hasn't looked back. Having worked with underrepresented populations in K-12 and Higher Ed for the last twenty years, most notably women in STEM, student of color, and scientifically gifted rural youth, she is a passionate educator and advocate for equity.
Chris has an undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies (music and creative writing), a Master's in Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health along with certification and registration as a Cytotechnologist through the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Among other things, Chris has worked in pathology labs, coordinated large federally-funded research grants, developed summer outreach institutes for K-12 students and educators, and served as the Director of Community Outreach and Education for the federally-funded Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, situated on the UI's Oakdale Campus.
Chris sees her primary responsibilities (and those of WISE) as:
- To implement timely and targeted programming for women in STEM to increase their retention from K-12, through college, and into the workforce.
- To educate parents, instructors, and administrators about barriers that still diminish women's genuine participation in STEM disciplines, many of which are built into the system (systemic) and not perpetrated by individuals.
- To act as a catalyst, bringing often overlooked issues to the administrative 'table' so they can be addressed in a visible and transparent way with all stakeholders at the 'table'.
- To provide individual advocacy for any member of the UI stem population as requested.
Please feel free to contact Chris for further information about WISE; to offer comments about how WISE is doing; to provide suggestions about what we should do next; or just to talk.
Andrea Beloy - Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs
319-335-3509, E-mail Andrea
Andrea hails from Northern Minnesota, but on her path to Iowa, she's called Mankato, Minnesota; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Corvallis, Oregon, home. She joined WISE in July of 2006. Her undergraduate degree is in Computer Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her Masters of Education (College Student Services Administration) is from Oregon State University, where she focused on retention programs for Women and Minorities in Engineering (WME) and on career/academic success issues. Prior to working in education, Andrea was an IT Auditor for 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Andrea's primary responsibilities for WISE are with Undergraduate Programs, including the Peer Mentoring Program, WISE Ambassadors, WISE Learning Community, and various WISE events available to all women in science and engineering. She works closely with contacts in the many STEM disciplines at UI, the University of Iowa Foundation, and WISE's corporate sponsors.
Tess - Coordinator, Grad/Post-Doc Professional Workshops
Tess Barker joined the WISE staff in August 2006 as the Graduate Assistant for Grad/Post-Doc Programs. Tess is pursuing joint JD and PhD degrees at the University of Iowa. Her Ph.D. program is Educational Policy and Leadership Studies with a focus on higher education administration and her research interests involve the ways colleges and universities respond changing regulations and legal requirements; how regulatory and legal changes are communicated intra-institution; and students’ rights and responsibilities on campuses.
Tess completed a Masters of Arts in Counseling and College Student Personnel at the University of Maryland, College Park, where her research focused on the ways undergraduate students are affected by study abroad experiences. Tess worked at two public universities in a variety of student advisor roles for nine years and immediately prior to Iowa, worked for a higher education non-profit in Washington, DC where she planned professional development programs for university vice presidents and college administrators.
Tess participated the WISE ePortfolio project. You can read more about Tess on her ePortfolio at http://professional.education.uiowa.edu/mtbarker/.
WISE Organizational Chart (updated June 2007)
