CTE Summit

Consulting Director, Collective Impact & Community Engagement at the Tamarack Institute

 

Sylvia is passionate about community change and what becomes possible when residents and various sector leaders share an aspirational vision for their future. She believes that when the assets of residents and community are recognized and connected they become powerful drivers of community change. Sylvia is an internationally recognized community-builder and trainer.  Over the past five years, much of Sylvia’s work has focused on building awareness and capacity in the areas of Collective Impact and Community Engagement throughout North America.

Prior to joining Tamarack, Sylvia was the founding Executive Director to Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA), a grassroots citizen initiative that fosters collaborative leadership and action in support of a long-term vision of well-being for Ontario's Headwaters region. This experience gives Sylvia practical knowledge and first-hand experience of what it takes to engage and mobilize positive community change.  Her work with HCIA was published as a chapter entitled, A Citizen-Led Approach to Enhancing Community Well-Being in the newly published Handbook of Community Well-Being Research.

Panel: Collective Impact in Practice

Karen Katz, Operations Lead, Office of Children's Mental Health-Wisconsin

Stacy Eslick, Reach Higher Initiative

KT Gallagher, Health Officer/Director, Dunn County Health, Dunn County Health & Human Services
KT Gallagher is the Director of the Dunn County Health Department. She holds a BS in Environmental Health from Colorado State University and an MPA from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.  She has worked in local Public Health for over 15 years. As a public servant, she strives to meet the community where it is at, elevating local solutions to local concerns. 

Cristy Linse, Director, Creating a Healthier Community, UW-STOUT.  
Cristy is currently in her first year as the Director of the initiative to create the UW-Stout Center to Study Health Promotion and Wellbeing, a new initiative on campus that is charged with creating partnerships that leverage the resources at the University for the betterment of the community related to public health.

Andrea Gabel, Director of Sector Strategy Development, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Andrea has a B.S. in Political Science and Public Relations, along with an MBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Before her role at WEDC, she worked for 18 years in marketing and workforce research; focusing on customer loyalty, workforce development and employee retention.  In her current role she is charged with developing state-wide strategies to grow and develop the information technology, transportation, and workforce areas.   She is also involved in Trauma Informed Care initiatives for the State, to understand how those concepts can be leveraged to improve employee inclusion, retention and engagement. 

Chelsea Powell, Deputy Director, Higher Expectations Racine County
Chelsea grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW-Madison for her Bachelors Degree in Political Science. After graduating she worked as a Legislative Aide in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Learning about the impact policy decisions have on the lives of families, she worked in communications for a number non-profits and political fundraising groups. In her current role, she is involved in helping institutions and organizations look inward at how they can improve their services and systems in a way that helps students and families achieve their dreams.