Name: Brenda Beck
Position at UW-Green Bay: Dean Assistant, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Summary of what you do: Administrative support for the Dean and for the College in the areas of budget, financial management, business policies and procedures, human resources and more.
How long have you been employed: I started at UW-Green Bay in May 2008
Brief history of employment with UW-Green Bay: Before starting in my current position three years ago, I had a variety of part- and full-time positions with Phuture Phoenix, University Advancement, University Archives/Records Management, Human Development & Information and Computing Sciences. I even worked a few days in the Chancellor’s office when they let Paula Marcec take a vacation!
Three words that describe you: Organized, efficient and flexible
Personal interests: Spending time with family, yoga, exercise, reading, Sudoku, FreeCell, Scrabble
Random fact: I received my MBA from UW-Oshkosh, but never had a class on their campus; all of my courses were held in the evenings at UW-Green Bay.
Any favorite line from a movie? You can’t handle the truth!
Are you messy or organized? Definitely organized
Best vacation you’ve been to? Any vacation is the best vacation.
Do you have a favorite newspaper, blog? The Atlantic
Do you have a favorite quote? If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
Favorite travel spot? Our cottage in Nasewaupee, Door County
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you? Meg Ryan? Drew Barrymore? I do need to add that it wouldn’t be an Oscar winning movie!
If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? It would be interesting to witness my great-grandparents immigrating to the United States from Germany.
If your house was burning down, what’s the one non-living thing you would save? Photographs
Least favorite food? Pasta, melon, mushrooms. I’ll stop at listing just three!
Tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Schofield, WI, the oldest of 4. My youngest brother was born on my birthday when I was 14. I graduated from St. Norbert College and have lived in the area since then.
Tell us about your family. I’ve been married to my best friend, Paul, for 26 years this month and we have 3 wonderful children. After graduating from St. Norbert, our oldest daughter, Kaylee, spent 27 months in the Peace Corps/Malawi and just finished her first year of graduate school at Marquette University. Our daughter, Micah, spent a year in Argentina during her high school junior year and will graduate from UW-Green Bay this December (after just 5 semesters!) with a major in Spanish & Latin American Studies and a minor in Democracy & Justice Studies. Our son, Gage, just finished his sophomore year in high school and will leave next month to spend his junior year in Cavalaire sur Mer, France.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us? I’ve never had a cell phone.
What advice would you give to recent new hires? Get involved with the variety of activities that are hosted by Human Resources and the professional development committees. Take advantage of using the Kress Activities Center.
What do you like most about your job? The interaction I have with so many departments on campus.
What else do you do for fun? I’ve volunteered as a cashier at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for the past 6+ years. It’s a great way to give back to the community and meet a lot of people.
What is an ability you wish you had? To get by on less sleep.
What is your biggest pet peeve? The first that comes to mind is people who don’t use their directional when driving, or feel the need to stop at stop signs, or litter, or don’t know how to recycle…oh, I have so many pet peeves (is that a bad thing?!)
What one food do you wish had zero calories? I wish bakery had zero carbs!
What phobias do you have? Heights. I have to look at the walls when I’m on the eighth floor of the library.
What places have you lived in? Aside from a semester in London, I’ve lived in Wisconsin my entire life.
What would people never guess you do in your role? That I spend way too much time with spreadsheets!
What would you like to be famous for? I don’t need to be famous, but I’d like to be remembered as being a good person.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Green Bay? Enjoying a Titletown Brewing Company beer on the patio or Roof Tap!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 5 years closer to retirement!
Where is your favorite place to eat? At home – Paul does the cooking!