Deputy secretary named interim secretary of academic staff

Jake Smith has been named interim secretary of the academic staff, starting Feb. 11. Smith replaces Heather Daniels, who is starting her new role as secretary of the faculty the same day.

The secretary of the academic staff serves as a resource for the more than 10,000 academic staff members at UW–Madison, acting as a liaison between the Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) and university administration, and assisting on any other matters related to shared governance.

Smith has served as deputy secretary of the academic staff for six years.

“In that time, it has been a privilege to see all the many wonderful ways that academic staff contribute to the teaching, research and service missions of the institution,” Smith says. “Shared governance is crucial to decision-making at UW–Madison, and helping facilitate governance for academic staff has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career so far. I’m looking forward to continuing to do this and more in the role of interim secretary.”

A search committee will be appointed soon, with the goal of having a new secretary of the academic staff named by the end of the semester or shortly thereafter.