Our Team
The UWEI is fortunate to have the involvement of many passionate and dedicated women. Their time and talents working on this issue is what enables us to do what we do.
STAFF
Danielle B. Christensen, Initiative Coordinator
Danielle B. Christensen is the enthusiastic coordinator of the projects,
activities, and strategic communications for UWEI. Her decade of experience creating and building online
communities now serves UWEI’s mission to grow the impact of our organization by developing a strong
network of support for women pursuing higher education. Danielle is also pursuing her Masters degree at
Westminster College in Community Leadership where her emphasis is allowing her to deeply explore the
cultural, societal and structural influences that impact Utah women’s participation in higher education.
Danielle is an outspoken advocate for Utah women in education, and her interests in the ways technology
can be used to connect people together, guides her efforts to build communities of support for Utah women
in education. Can be contacted at [email protected] or (801)
792-9001
Susan R. Madsen, Director
Dr. Susan R. Madsen is the Orin R. Woodbury Professor of
Leadership and Ethics in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University. Susan has been heavily
involved for over a decade in researching the lifetime development of prominent women leaders and has two
books and a host of articles published on this work. Just this year, Dr. Madsen released four briefs
through the Utah Women Leadership Project, which she founded, on the status of Utah women in politics,
non-profit, education, and business. Overall, Susan has authored or edited four books and published nearly
100 articles, chapters, and reports, and she presents often in local, national, and international
settings. In 2012 she presented in NGO sessions at the United Nations in New York and Geneva on women,
leadership, and education and was also an invited panelist at the New York Times. Susan was recently
recognized as one of the 2013 “30 Women to Watch” in Utah Business Magazine, one of the 2014 Fabulous
Forty in Utah Valley Magazine, and a 2012 Salt Lake Chamber PathFinder Awardee. She recently finished a
four year project for the state of Utah to figure out how to get more Utah women to graduate from college.
Dr. Madsen received her doctorate from the University of Minnesota in human resource development. View
video of Dr. Madsen discussing her work on the Utah Women and Education Project. Can be contacted at [email protected] or (801) 863-6176
ADVISORS
Mary Ann Holladay
Mary Ann Holladay was the director of UWEI from
July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. She has over 25 years of experience in leadership, strategic consulting,
and organizational development. She is the president and CEO of Holladay & Associates, a firm specializing
in strategic planning and organizational assessment. Ms. Holladay has been actively involved in community
service, most recently chairing the Women for Educational Achievement Committee for United Way of Salt
Lake’s Women’s Philanthropic Network.
Ms. Holladay has served in executive leadership positions in a variety of
companies, most recently as Vice President of Human Resources for ATK Aerospace Systems. As Vice President
of Implementation for ADP, Mary Ann served as Executive Sponsor for large health and welfare project for
large Fortune 100 clients. She has developed customer relations and account management systems for
start-up companies and was assistant Vice President for Human Resource at Intermountain Health Care. Mary
Ann has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and an MBA from the University of Utah. She can be contacted at
[email protected]
Dr. Cheryl Hanewicz
Dr. Cheryl Hanewicz is an Associate Professor and
Department Chair in the Technology Management program at Utah Valley University (UVU). She started working
at UVU in 2005. Since then, she has also served as an Assistant Dean in the College of Technology and
Computing as well as Senior Director of Student Success and Retention. She has been involved in the Utah
Women and Education Project as researcher, writer, and presenter. Previously, she taught
technology-related courses both on-campus and online at Eastern Michigan University in the School of
Technology Studies for ten years. She received her Bachelor of Science, Master of Liberal Studies in
Technology, and Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership. Cheryl has over 25 years of computer and
managerial experience in both the business and academic environments. Before teaching she worked in two
software development companies in administrative positions and was a consultant for several companies,
which included training administrators in computer skills, editing security manuals, and updating
maintenance policies for ISO 9000 compliance. In addition to teaching, she has published
technology-related books and articles, participated in national conferences, and consulted with Macmillan
Computer Publishing USA and Prentice Hall as a technical editor. She can be contacted at [email protected] or (801) 863-6539
Dr. Anne Wairepo
Dr. Anne Rumsey Wairepo is the Senior Director of
Women’s Success at Utah Valley University. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Foundations
from Brigham Young University where she was the Director of Student Leadership. She has been involved in
higher education and leadership for the last 20 years and now specializes in helping women commit to and
achieve their educational goals including exploration in STEM fields and degrees that open doors.
Currently Anne teaches Women in Business in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University. Her
research interests include leveraging social network structures among higher education scholars; mentoring
for women’s leadership development; and most recently, institutional climates and supports that enable
career growth for female leaders in higher education. Her work has been published in the Journal of
Leadership, Accountability and Ethics as well as Advancing Women in Leadership Journal. Between working
for BYU and UVU, Anne married a New Zealander and lived abroad for several years. Two children later,
she’s thrilled to be back in Utah working with fantastic women who want to make a difference in the world!
[email protected] or (801) 863-3020
Susan Thackeray
Susan L. Thackeray serves as the Director of Career and Technical Education at
Utah Valley University. She has over twenty years of demonstrated leadership in industry and education
that includes international and domestic higher education instructional design, distance learning
development, usability testing, workforce development and team organization/training. Ms. Thackeray is
noted nationally for the UVU Business Engagement Strategy Career Pathways model to efficiently prepare
students for the workforce. She is currently the state lead for the National Alliance for Partnership in
Equity STEM Equity Pipeline Project. She has received multiple awards and is honored to be the 2012
recipient of the Women Tech Council innovation award for Educational Excellence. Ms. Thackeray holds a
bachelor of science in the field of digital media and a master degree in instructional technology from
Utah State University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate degree with a research focus of
underrepresented populations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). She can be contacted at
[email protected] or (801) 863-8906
Jana Scott
Jana Scott connects readers with the stories, experience, and wisdom of other
Utah women and information that helps girls and women improve their lives and the world around them. Her
work with the Utah Women and Education initiative began at its founding. She continues to enjoy hearing
and sharing motivating stories and invites you to share yours. Jana coordinates Prosperity 2020, a
statewide movement to make Utah a top 10 state in education, working with the Salt Lake Chamber. Jana is a
Rotary World Peace Fellow and among the highlights of her international experiences was participating in
the International Conference on Education in Geneva, Switzerland with ministers of culture from around the
world. Shortly before the 2002 Olympic Games, she initiated a project working with Washington, DC
Embassies and Utah leaders in government, business and education to bring talented children’s groups from
around the world for a colorful celebration. Following the Games, Jana was asked to start a cultural
diplomacy program for the State of Utah. At the age of 17, Jana worked in the Governor’s Washington, D.C.
Office. Jana has a BA and MA in the social sciences. Her areas of interest include gender relations,
resilience, community building, conflict, motivation, and growth. She can be contacted at [email protected] or (801) 328-5043
Utah Campus Contacts
These campus contacts may also be helpful:
- Brigham Young University: Women’s Services and Resources
- Dixie State University: Women’s Resource Center
- Southern Utah University: SUU Center for Women and Families
- Utah State University: Center for Women and Gender
- University of Utah: Women’s Resource Center
- Utah Valley University: Women’s Success Center
- Weber State University: Women’s Center
- Westminster College: Admissions Center