2018 NCPS Conference Speakers (in alphabetical order)

Becky Barry Baumgartner: Becky has been a member of the Moscow community for almost ten years. Originally, she moved to Moscow to attend the University of Idaho, earning her B.A. in English. Now she works as a customer service representative at the Parking and Transportation Department, the culmination of multiple customer service jobs. She has encountered numerous instances of both delivering and receiving bad news. Realities or changes that some perceive to be bad news are ubiquitous in the higher education community. These conversations can be awkward at best, and sometimes we want to avoid them altogether, but they don’t have to be that way! Throughout Becky’s experience as a student, as a staff member, and as a mother to her four-year-old, she has collected some key strategies for how to break the bad news.

Jennifer Cook: Jenn is the Club Activities Coordinator at Western Washington University. She serves as

the main advisor for all 200+ clubs in the Associated Students and supervises 5 student staff who

support the club system. When she is not dreaming of new ways of “doing” at work, she is at home with

her husband and 10 year old son, probably catching up on TV shows or working on a puzzle. She also

enjoys biking and all things paranormal.

Rush Duncan: Rush Duncan works for Bellingham Technical College as a Completion Coach for the

STAR Title III Grant. Rush has a BFA in Drawing and Painting (University of North Texas), an AAS as a

Legal Administrative Assistant (BTC), and a Hypnotherapy certificate (BTC). Rush enjoys helping

students navigate challenges and identify resources. His role as a STAR Completion Coach is a

contributing factor for student success at BTC and beyond.

Brenda Helbling: Brenda Helbling works as the Chief of Staff for the President at the University of

Idaho. Brenda has worked at the University since 1991 with the last 12 years in the executive suite, first

as an executive assistant to the Provost and Executive Vice President, moving to her current role in the

president’s office in 2014. In her role, she serves as a member of the senior executive leadership team

and President's Cabinet. She serves as a confidential and strategic thought partner for the president,

and ensures effective execution of presidential priorities and initiatives, in support of the mission and

strategic directions of the University. Brenda earned a bachelor’s degree in English with pre-

professional emphasis in business, human resource management, and journalism. Brenda has served as

an officer in the UI Athena Women’s Organization, is active with her professional organization, and has

been involved in the Ace Women’s Network for Idaho. Brenda has engaged with students on two

Alternative Service Breaks and an international study abroad.

Lisa Hill: Lisa Hill is the Director of Student Services in the College of Science at the University of Idaho.

She holds a master’s degree in Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership. Lisa brought many years

of teaching and advising experience from North Idaho College when she joined the advising staff at the

University of Idaho in 2012 in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. As director of student services, Lisa works with students in a number of ways, including advising and

managing retention programming. In addition to meeting with future and current students about

undergraduate advising, she meets most frequently with struggling students who are officially assigned

to faculty or professional advisors throughout the college. Lisa’s work has led to an increase in retention

and reduction in probation/disqualification in the College of Science.

In 2018 Lisa received the Award for Excellence in Advising – Advising Administrator from the National

Academic Advising Association – Region 8. Other recent honors include the 2018 University of Idaho

Staff Excellence in Advising Award and a Faculty/Staff International Development Award in 2017.

Summer Howard: After moving to Moscow in 2004 and with her son, Summer was quickly engrossed

in the university climate. Initially starting her higher education career with five years at neighboring

Washington State University, in 2010 Summer moved into her current position as the Customer Service

Lead in University of Idaho’s Parking and Transportation Services department. After being nominated by

a current member of Staff Council, Summer joined the council and greatly expanded her responsibilities

and university knowledge by becoming the Communications Representative and Secretary

simultaneously. Her very first presentation to the group was on shared governance. Now, as Staff

Council Chair, Summer is living and breathing shared governance and actively maintaining positive

relationships with campus constituents and leaders alike which is proven by becoming UI Athena

Woman of the Year.

Lori Joubert: Lori Joubert is a dedicated professional and community member with 20 years of

experience leading and managing groups in a variety of organizational settings. She is currently an

Administrative Coordinator at UW Medicine where she actively promotes the significance of effective

listening and communication skills in her work environment. She has designed and delivered listening

and communication sessions to managers, supervisors, frontline employees, colleagues and community

members over the years.

Lori's in-depth professional experience includes customer service, administrative support, management

and volunteerism. She has worked primarily in healthcare, financial services and retail industries. Lori

currently serves as Vice President Elect of the International Listening Association.

Lori has a Master’s degree in speech communication from the University of Washington, certificate in

project management from University of Washington Extension, Certified Listening Professional, and is an

Emotional Intelligence Certification.

In her free time, Lori is a dance enthusiast and enjoys salsa and ballroom dancing.

Betty Lanman: I am the Assistant to the Director at UW Medical Center in the Department of

Radiology. In this role, I support the Interim Chair’s role as UWMC Medical Director. I also manage the

Interim Chair’s marketing projects including social media outreach/educational events. Operationally, I

manage projects and interact with radiology department administration and clinical staff centering on

clinical operations of radiology.

Prior to coming to UW Medicine, I was employed in the private sector for 23 years working for a

national provider of independent medical opinions for the workers compensation and disability

insurance industry. I served as Director of Client Services for 16 years, and provided training to

physicians and staff. I developed and conducted training workshops for professional continuing

education credits, and was a trainer for the Washington Self-Insurers Association.

My volunteer activities have included 5 years volunteering at Seattle Children’s Hospital, two seasons

with Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, as well as the Seattle Foundation, supporting the Seattle-King

County Clinic in the fall of 2015, 2016, and 2017. My hobbies include bicycling, trail hiking, and reading

fiction, biographies, and history.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences at the University of Washington. I have three

grown children and nine grandchildren.

Brad Martin: Brad retired in 2017 as a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 22 years of service. He

served in various leadership positions in the Army both within the United States and overseas finishing

his career as the Commander of the University of Idaho Army ROTC Battalion. He currently serves as the

Executive Project Manager in the Office of the President.

Melisa Nelson: Melisa Nelson has served as the Assistant to the Vice President of Student Services at

Bellingham Technical College since 2014. Melisa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a

minor in Communication Studies from Western Washington University in 2013 and is currently in the

MBA program at Western Governor’s University. Previously, Melisa spent 15 years in the service sectors

focusing on superior customer service, leadership, and conflict resolution strategies. Her areas of

expertise, and what motivates her to go to work each day, are applying problem solving, human-

centered design methods, deepening relationships with her coworkers through communication, and

facilitating fun and effective meetings.

Chloe Rambo: Chloe Rambo currently serves her alma mater as Associate Director of Development in

the College of Engineering. She was born in a small Eastern Washington town and was raised on the

Palouse in a farming family. She loves creating efficient management systems and walking her dog,

Josh. Chloe received her bachelors in journalism from the University of Idaho and her Master’s in

strategic communication from Washington State University.

Lysa Salsbury: Lysa Salsbury is the Director of the University of Idaho Women’s Center. She leads

campus outreach, education, and engagement efforts around women’s and gender issues, and serves on

a number of institutional and local committees that focus on promoting equity and inclusion at the

university and beyond. Lysa is the PI for a 3 year U.S. Department of Justice grant to develop culturally

responsive violence prevention education and advocacy for diverse student populations, and serves as a

confidential resource for faculty, staff, and students at the UI. She is a certified victim advocate, and a

trainer and facilitator for the Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, UI Safe Zone, and Our Whole

Lives (OWL) sexuality education program, where she puts her knowledge of respectful communication

techniques to good and frequent use. Lysa also has extensive experience consulting with and leading

strategic planning and visioning/value exercises with a variety of groups, both on and off campus.

Guy Smith: After graduating from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) with degrees in English,

Anthropology, and Communication, Guy Smith was hired by Whatcom Community College (WCC), where

he is now a Professor of Communication Studies and the Division Chair of Social Sciences and Business.

Though he teaches a variety of courses (and oversees 20 disciplines and programs), his specialty is

teaching performance-based topics such as public speaking, oral interpretation, and improv. Guy has

given numerous professional speeches on a wide range of subjects, though his previous favorite speech

was at the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture at the National Baseball Hall of

Fame in Cooperstown, NY, where he recounted his experiences researching and umpiring baseball.

Beyond academia, baseball, and speaking, Guy has performed in dinner theater (including as a clown in

Make ‘Em Laugh); reader’s theater (a handful of children’s stories at various locations); stage

productions such as Richard III (George, Duke of Clarence) and Taming of the Shrew (Hortensio) with

Shakespeare Northwest; and independently staged radio productions of The 39 Steps, A Christmas Carol,

The War of the Worlds…and is currently in his fourth season as a regular cast member with the Camano

Island Radio Theatre. Guy is also in his fifth year co-advising WCC’s Improv Club and performance group

The Dorckapods; for the past year he continues to hone his skills by taking improv classes at the Upfront

Theater in Bellingham, WA.

Cameron Wuhr: Cameron Wühr has a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and a B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies. He currently is an Academic Support Coordinator and Instructor at Western Washington University. During his 15 years in higher education, he’s held a variety of positions in both Student and Academic Affairs. He is passionate about inquiry-based learning and action research as it relates to access, equity, and inclusion in post-secondary education.