Interim secretary named for classified staff

John Lease is serving as the interim secretary of the classified staff, a new position he began Aug. 19 and will hold through December.

Lease will assist the Classified Staff Advisory Committee in an election this fall that gives the nearly 5,000 classified staff employees the opportunity to elect nine classified staff members to the first-ever Classified Staff Executive Committee.

The goal is to provide shared governance opportunities for classified staff employees similar to those for academic staff and faculty. Previously, all classified staff did not have a formal governance structure at UW–Madison.

“I have been continually impressed by the advisory committee, who at every step in the process has double checked to make sure everything they do reinforces their aim that this election remain accessible and inclusive to all members of the permanent classified staff workforce,” Lease says.

Shared governance for classified staff is a priority for the UW–Madison campus, says Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Darrell Bazzell.

“My personal goal is to see to it that every classified employee understands that we are not only recognizing their right to participate but are encouraging it,” Bazzell says.

After the election, the advisory committee will be dissolved and replaced by the Classified Staff Executive Committee.

Bazzell reminds those interested in becoming an elected representative or already appointed to existing campus advisory committees that they are able to perform their shared governance duties during normal work hours.

Nominations will be accepted Sept. 9 through Oct. 3. More details about the upcoming nomination and election process will be announced soon.