UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON

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Odyssey Project

Katie Arredondo

Program Coordinator

Emily Auerbach

Professor of English; Executive Director of the UW Odyssey Project

Emily Auerbach is a professor of English and the executive director of the life-changing UW Odyssey Project (odyssey.wisc.edu). She is also the co-host of Wisconsin Public Radio's University of the Air and teaches Tuesday Morning Booktalks.

Emily Azad

Program Manager, UW Odyssey Project

Emily (Em) Azad is the program manager for the UW Odyssey Project and provides support for all areas of the program.

Brian Benford

Success Coach, UW Odyssey Project

Brian Benford, Odyssey ’07, supports Odyssey students and alumni facing obstacles that stand in the way of pursuing higher education. Brian has worked for numerous community-based organizations in Dane County for over 30 years.

Erin Celello

Teaching Professor; Director of Odyssey Beyond Wars, UW Odyssey Project

Erin Celello is an author, essayist, and lecturer. Erin currently teaches Onward Odyssey courses and is the director of Odyssey’s newest program, Odyssey Beyond Wars. After spending the past decade as an associate professor of English/creative writing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and as a lecturer for Drexel University’s MFA program, Erin is delighted to join the Odyssey Project.

Christine Cina

Odyssey Navigator; Academic Advising Manager

Bio to come

Gwendolyn Coale

Odyssey Assistant Coordinator

Gwendolyn Coale is an Assistant Coordinator for UW Odyssey Project! She graduated from UW-Madison with a Masters of Social Work degree and a focus on policy and administration. As a first-generation college student, she shares Odyssey’s passion for accessibility in education. She is also interested in criminal justice reform and alternatives to incarceration.

Gunce Derin 

Program Coordinator, Prison Education Initiative

Gunce graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies and Economics. In addition to her majors, she earned certificates in Criminal Justice, Environmental Studies, and Public Policy. During her academic years, she held various positions in sales, event management, and criminal trial investigations. As the PEI Program Coordinator, Gunce will provide administrative and programmatic assistance across numerous projects.

Karen Dreyfuss

Director, Odyssey Junior

Karen coordinates Odyssey Junior, an enrichment program for the children and grandchildren of Odyssey students and alumni. She supports staff and students in each of our four youth classes: Adventurers (grades 6-12), Explorers (grades 1-5), Scouts (ages 2-5), and Baby Badgers (infants and toddlers).

Jennifer Fandel

Odyssey Beyond Bars Instructor & Tutor Coordinator

Jennifer Fandel (MFA, Minnesota State Univ) has taught poetry in prisons, women's shelters, parks & rec programs, and grade schools. She worked in publishing for more than a decade. Her published work includes poetry, book reviews, and nonfiction books for children and young adults. Learn more at jenniferfandel.net.

 Ben Garrison

Budget Planning Manager

Bio to come

Mia Greene

Prison Education Initiative, Academic & Career Services Manager

Taylor Kirby

Assistant Program Manager for Odyssey Beyond Bars

Bio to come

Sarah Lensmire

Odyssey Assistant Program & Development Manager

Sarah's role at Odyssey includes a variety of work across a range of administrative areas, including support for communications, event planning and coordination, annual fund management, and general program assistance. She graduated from UW–Madison with a BA in English and Gender Studies.

Adam MacKay

PEI Site Coordinator

Bryn Martyna

PEI Operations Director

Bryn has worked as a public interest lawyer, policy coordinator, and teacher. She has focused on issues related to criminal justice and education throughout much of her career, starting in 2005 as an attorney for the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland, CA. Since moving to Wisconsin in 2011, she has worked for the Wisconsin Court System, Department of Children and Families, and the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Peter Moreno

Director, Odyssey Beyond Bars

Peter Moreno serves as the Director of Odyssey Beyond Bars, a new initiative to lead Odyssey's efforts to expand access to higher education in Wisconsin's prison system.

Kevin Mullen

Assistant Professor, DCS; Director of Adult Education, UW Odyssey Project

Research areas: public humanities, multi-generational learning, literacy studies. Kevin Mullen is an Assistant Professor of Continuing Studies and the Director of Adult Education for the UW Odyssey Project. His work focuses on expanding access to higher education for low-income adult students from marginalized communities, especially the role that writing plays in creating a stronger sense of self-efficacy, voice, and community. In addition to the core Odyssey class, he has taught English 100 (Introduction to College Writing) courses for Odyssey alumni and incarcerated students in the Odyssey Beyond Bars program. He also oversees the Odyssey Family Learning Center, where past and present students can come with their children to work on homework with a team of tutors.

Jenny Pressman

Director of Development & Community Partnerships

Jenny Pressman secures support from individuals, foundations, organizations, and businesses in support of the Odyssey Project's mission.

Rachel Ritacco

Odyssey Beyond Bars Program Coordinator

Bio to come

Ben Shannon

Teaching Faculty, UW Odyssey Project

Ben has a PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin, with a focus on protest movements in the 1960s. As an instructor, he teaches courses for both Onward Odyssey and Odyssey Beyond Bars. He also helps coordinate the Family Learning Center and tutoring team.

Kyle Walsh

Prison Education Initiative Site Coordinator

Kyle has worked in public education ever since graduating from the University of Wisconsin. He has served as an elementary school classroom teacher, as well as a school-level administrator at both the elementary and secondary levels. Kyle is focused on systems change, ensuring all people have access to education, and issues related to— and the intersectionality of— justice, equity and race.

Roberta Wang

Senior Administrative Program Specialist

Roberta Wang is the primary author of the Continuing Studies Information System (CSIS) Knowledge Base and also assists the Odyssey Program with financial and grant management.