Meet the 2026 Academic Staff Excellence Award winners

​By Will Cushman

​Photos by Jeff Miller

​April 8, 2026

Chancellor's Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching

Tianlu Zhang

Teaching Faculty II, Asian Languages and Cultures

Tianlu Zhang has reimagined Chinese language instruction at UW-Madison through dynamic curriculum design and student-centered pedagogy.

From foundational language classes to cultural seminars, Zhang's development of new Chinese courses like Advanced Chinese Through Media has helped to transform how Badgers learn the language. Zhang's efforts have been met with exceptionally high course reviews from students, who have praised her clarity, energy and commitment to growing their language skills.

Her courses incorporate multimedia content, structured training systems and interactive discussion sections that deepen students' language proficiency and intercultural fluency.

Zhang's work extends far beyond the classroom, including contributions to language assessment and teacher training, service as faculty director for initiatives that promote Chinese language and culture on campus and in the community, and outreach to K-12 Chinese learners in the region.

Mary Lucy Clark Distinguished Teaching Award

Anna Tumarkin

Teaching Professor and Director of the Russian Language Program

For two decades, Anna Tumarkin has shaped UW-Madison's Russian language education through pedagogical innovation, academic rigor and mentorship.

As director of the Russian language program, she has developed award-winning instructional materials and guided curriculum reform that integrates language, culture, literature and contemporary global issues. Her courses challenge students intellectually while supporting their growth in linguistic proficiency and cultural analysis. Tumarkin also devotes considerable energy to mentoring graduate teaching assistants, modeling research-informed pedagogy and thoughtful supervision. Undergraduates describe her teaching as both demanding and transformative, crediting her guidance with shaping their academic and professional paths. Her sustained commitment to excellence in teaching and mentorship has elevated Russian language education within her department and beyond.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Service to the University

Donna Cole

Administrator, Osher Center for Integrative Health

Throughout her more than 30 years of employment, Donna Cole has strengthened UW-Madison through steady, strategic and collaborative leadership.

Most recently, as administrator of the Osher Center for Integrative Health, Cole has overseen a complex portfolio that includes research administration, outreach initiatives, fiscal stewardship and grant development. She works with faculty and staff at the center to advance integrative health throughout UW Health and our local communities.

Cole's leadership extends beyond her home unit. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to multiple campus centers and served in academic staff governance roles, including as vice chair of the Academic Staff Executive Committee and academic staff representative to the Universities of Wisconsin. Her institutional knowledge, calm problem-solving and dedication to shared governance have proven invaluable to colleagues. She is most proud of the mentorship she has provided to numerous academic staff throughout her career.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research: Independent Investigator

Paolo Desiati

Assistant Research Professor, Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center

Paolo Desiati has played a central role in transforming the IceCube Neutrino Observatory into a world-leading scientific enterprise over the last two decades.

Beginning with the AMANDA experiment, which laid the foundation for IceCube, and continuing through IceCube's most recent neutrino discoveries, Desiati's technical know-how has enabled bold scientific inquiry at the South Pole. He led sophisticated simulation efforts that enable the detector's precise measurements, work that demands deep knowledge of instrumentation, physics theory and computational modeling. At the same time, Desiati has built an internationally prominent research program focused on cosmic-ray physics. His rare combination of technical rigor, creativity and collaborative mindset has fostered cross-experiment and interdisciplinary partnerships, benefiting the research community within UW-Madison, the global research partnership that is IceCube and the cosmic-ray community.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research: Critical Research Support

Stephen Jordan

Outreach Specialist, Plant Pathology

As an outreach specialist for the Department of Plant Pathology, Stephen Jordan helps ensure that the department's applied vegetable research directly benefits agricultural producers in Wisconsin and beyond.

Since 2011, Jordan has coordinated a complex portfolio of field and storage research trials that have informed disease management recommendations for potatoes and vegetables. Jordan oversees experimental design, field logistics, data stewardship and collaboration with industry partners, ensuring that producers can rely on the department's vegetable research aimed at emerging threats to crops. Jordan's meticulous attention to detail has strengthened the scientific foundation upon which the vegetable disease outreach program's discoveries are built.

Jordan has also served as an indispensable mentor to graduate and undergraduate researchers in vegetable pathology. The students credit his patience, technical expertise and steady, candid guidance with shaping both their research skills and professional development. Jordan embodies the essential support that makes high-impact applied research possible.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Leadership: Individual Unit Level

Katy Oksuita

Chief Administrative Officer, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine

Katy Oksuita has helped build the UW BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine into a nationally recognized academic department.

Beginning as Residency Coordinator, Oksuita played a pivotal role in launching and expanding the emergency medicine residency program, securing full accreditation on its first site visit. As the department evolved into an independent academic unit, Oksuita guided complex transitions in human resources, fiscal operations and academic administration.

Oksuita has also supported major clinical initiatives within the department, including the opening of new emergency department facilities, while maintaining strongly collaborative relationships with faculty and staff. Her strategic thinking, operational expertise and investment in community-building within the department, the School of Medicine and Public Health, and the UW Health system have strengthened their capacity to educate learners, perform emergency care research and serve patients.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Leadership: School, College or Larger University Level

Joseph Nosek

Director, Program in English as a Second Language

Joseph Nosek's creative and steady leadership of the English as a Second Language Program serves students and departments across UW-Madison.

As the program's director, Nosek oversees curriculum development, instructor supervision, testing, budgeting and cross-campus collaboration, ensuring English language learners receive high-quality academic support wherever they are on campus.

Under his leadership, the ESL program has grown more cohesive and forward-looking, and the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate has been revitalized. His efforts to restructure the certificate program's curriculum while improving advising and strengthening campus partnerships has resulted in its highest enrollment levels in nearly a decade.

Nosek has also initiated several collaborative programs with community groups well outside the boundaries of campus. Among these is the Afghan English Language Tutoring Project, through which UW students serve as English language tutors, partnering with girls and young women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of educational opportunities.

Martha Casey Award for Dedication to Excellence

Baoli Liu

Head Piano Technician, Mead Witter School of Music

Though Baoli Liu's work often occurs behind the scenes, its impact is heard in every rehearsal and concert performed at the Mead Witter School of Music.

That's because Liu's craftsmanship quietly sustains the school's 159 pianos spread across practice rooms, studios, classrooms and performance venues. Liu ensures each instrument sounds its best for every practice session, rehearsal and performance.

Liu's expertise extends well beyond tuning. He keeps the pianos' intricate action mechanisms in order, restores aging parts, evaluates their tonal quality and makes sure the school's concert grands are in tip-top shape for visiting artists and major recitals. Faculty and students rely on his discerning ear and technical precision to maintain consistent, responsive instruments that support both daily instruction and world-class performances. As such, Liu's meticulousness and deep commitment to excellence in every detail of his craft have become indispensable to the school.

Martha Casey Award for Dedication to Excellence

Joe Savard

Data Scientist II, Social Science Research Services

The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, one of UW-Madison's signature research initiatives, has benefited immensely from more than two decades of support from Joe Savard.

In his role as a data scientist for the longitudinal study, which has followed the lives of more than 10,000 Wisconsin high school graduates since 1957, Savard's deep institutional knowledge has made him a go-to problem solver for researchers.

Savard has helped navigate evolving data systems, from archival files stored on early media to contemporary computational platforms. He has also modernized the study's coding protocols while maintaining complex datasets, troubleshooting technical challenges and ensuring data integrity across survey waves.

He also plays a vital mentoring role, supervising dozens of undergraduate student workers and introducing them to rigorous research practices. He's resourceful, calm under pressure and generous with his time and expertise. His dedication has sustained the continuity and impact of a project that has informed scholarship across generations.

Ann Wallace Career Achievement Award

Lisa Jansen

Emeritus IT Director, MERIT Co-Director, School of Education

Over nearly four decades at UW-Madison, Lisa Jansen has helped shape the university's IT landscape while elevating the experience and professional standing of academic staff across campus.

Beginning her career in Cooperative Extension and later serving in Learning Support Services in the College of Letters & Science, Jansen built a reputation for technical excellence and a commitment to service. Later, as IT director for the School of Education and co-director of MERIT, she guided the school's complex IT operations. This included modernizing its infrastructure and strengthening security. Beyond her formal roles, Jansen has had a major impact on shared governance and staff career development. She co-chaired two Academic Staff Assembly standing committees and served in the Academic Staff Assembly. She spearheaded efforts to improve IT job titles and descriptions through the Title and Total Compensation project. She also co-founded and led the Community of Educational Technology Support and the Divisional Technology Leadership Group, giving IT staff and leaders scattered across campus a unified, influential voice.