Professional Degrees & Certificates
Taryn Conaway
Project Program Manager
Taryn Conaway is a Project Manager for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio is comprised of 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. Taryn serves as the main contact for PDC programs and helps coordinate marketing and recruitment projects to ensure successful recruitment cycles. Taryn leads special projects such as student behavior data projects and program proposals and debriefs. She also produces the PDC Your Future. Your Way. podcast. Taryn is also a member of the Districting & Representation Committee which is charged with placing academic staff in districts based on campus guidelines. Taryn has over 20 years of project management experience and graduated with an MS in Project Management in 2021. Before working at UW-Madison, she served as a Director of Operations for an advertising agency.
Emma Lee Davis
Enrollment Coach
Emma Lee Davis is excited to return to DCS after a few months off figuring out how to be a mom! Previously, Emma held the role of Administrative Manager for the ACSSS team, helping with a variety of financial and organizational tasks. She is thrilled to continue working with the ACSSS team in her new role as an enrollment coach for Professional Degrees and Certificates. Emma has a background in education as a former middle school language arts teacher, and she is most passionate about helping students from all backgrounds find the right educational pathway for them – and then the tools and map to navigate that pathway. In her limited free time, Emma loves to be outside on her bike or going for runs in any kind of weather. She is an avid reader and enjoys writing YA fiction (no, she has not been published….yet), meditation, hiking, and cooking delicious meals for her housemates, family, and friends.
Sara Kluender
Director of Recruitment Strategies
Sara Kluender manages the Recruitment Strategies Team focused on increasing student enrollment.
Jackie Nevarez
Project Coordinator
Jackie Nevarez is a Project Coordinator for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio comprises 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. She supports programs by coordinating DCS recruitment and marketing projects, including webinars, video production, and the Your Future. Your Way. podcast. She leads the PDC Community of Practice, manages the GradConnections Bi-Weekly for online students newsletter, and coordinates virtual open house events, among other projects such as student survey management and distribution. Before joining DCS, Jackie held admissions and student services positions at UW–Eau Claire.
Alissa Oleck
Assistant Dean for Professional Degrees & Certificates
Alissa Oleck provides project management and support for academic affairs, specifically with the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC) portfolio, which is made up of 75+ flexible and online master's degrees and certificates offered across campus. She also assists with special projects related to the Educational Innovation Initiative and lifelong learning.
Patrick Walsh
Associate Director of Recruitment Strategies
Patrick Walsh serves as the first point of contact for prospective students when they inquire about a program, and counsels students on admission requirements and the application process.
Yu-Li Wang
Project Coordinator
Yu-Li Wang is a Project Coordinator for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio comprises 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. She supports programs through coordinating DCS marketing and recruitment projects, including webinars, Your Future. Your Way. podcast and video production. Yu-Li leads process improvement projects, manages data tracking and reports, and performs market/competitor analysis research as well as assisting with other special projects such as the student behavior data project. Yu-Li was a VISP student from Taiwan (2014-2015) and received a MA in History from UW–Madison (2019). Prior to joining DCS, she worked as the administrative assistant at the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center where she supported project managers and scientists on National Science Foundation-funded projects.